Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advertising campaigns the Department ran between 2000 and June 2004; and what the  (a) date and  (b) cost was of each.

Meg Munn: The Department for Communities and Local Government was established on 12 March 2006 its predecessor the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established on 29 May 2002. Advertising figures before that can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In 2002-03 the advertising spend was £3.4 million on Fire Safety running throughout the year.
	In 2003-04 the advertising spend was £4.4 million of this sum £2.9 million was spent on Fire Safety running in September February and March and £1.5 million Elected Regional Assemblies running in June and July.

Arm's Length Management

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to reform arm's length management organisations.

Yvette Cooper: The review of Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) and a statement, "From Decent Homes to Sustainable Communities" were published on 7 June. The documents examined how ALMOs could build on the success of their delivery of decent homes and set out the Department's view on the long term future of ALMOs within the broader social housing context. The statement invites views on the emerging initiatives and ideas raised in the documents by 15 September 2006.

Ballpoint Pens

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent on ballpoint pens with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister branding; and how many were ordered.

Meg Munn: The then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent a total of £3,450 on 20,000 ballpoint pens with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister branding.

Ballpoint Pens

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent in the last 12 months on pens marked with the 'Office of the Deputy Prime Minister' title.

Meg Munn: The then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent £1,900 on pens marked with 'Office of the Deputy Prime Minister' in the 12 months to the 5 May 2006.

Brownfield Land

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her definition is of brownfield land for planning purposes; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 18 July 2006
	The definition for brownfield land is currently set out in Annex C to Planning Policy Guidance Note 3—Housing. This says that:
	"Previously-developed land is that which is or was occupied by a permanent structure (excluding agricultural or forestry buildings), and associated fixed surface infrastructure(1). The definition covers the curtilage of the development(2). Previously-developed land may occur in both built-up and rural settings. The definition includes defence buildings and land used for mineral extraction and waste disposal(3 )where provision for restoration has not been made through development control procedures(4).
	The definition excludes land and buildings that are currently in use for agricultural or forestry purposes, and land in built-up areas which has not been developed previously (e.g. parks, recreation grounds, and allotments—even though these areas may contain certain urban features such as paths, pavilions and other buildings). Also excluded is land that was previously developed but where the remains of any structure or activity have blended into the landscape in the process of time (to the extent that it can reasonably be considered as part of the natural surroundings), and where there is a clear reason that could outweigh the re-use of the site—such as its contribution to nature conservation—or it has subsequently been put to an amenity use and cannot be regarded as requiring redevelopment."
	The definition is based on the Land Use Change Statistics classification (LUCS) introduced in 1985.
	In December last year we published draft PPS 3, which is designed to update planning for housing policy. Annex A of draft PPS 3 proposes some clarificatory changes to the definition of previously-developed land. We are currently considering representations that were received to the consultation on draft PPS3, and are due to publish final PPS 3 later in the year.

Cantxx

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) she has and  (b) Ministers in her Department have received official hospitality from Cantxx Ventures Ltd. and Cantxx UK and its associated companies in the last four years.

Meg Munn: Neither the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government or any Minister in her department has received official hospitality from Cantxx Ventures Ltd. or Cantxx UK or its associated companies.

Criminal Offences

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many criminal offences her Department has created by Orders in Council in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: There have been no criminal offences created in Orders in Council for which the Department for Communities and Local Government is responsible since DCLG was created in May 2006. Nor were any criminal offences created in Orders in Council by its predecessor the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister since 2002. It would involve a disproportionate cost to provide details in respect of predecessor departments for the period before 2002.

Departmental Finance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the projected budgets are for each area-based initiative which receives funding from her Department for  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09, broken down by (i) region and (ii) county.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was established on 5 May 2006 following the Machinery of Government changes.
	The table following sets out the projected budgets by region for the area based initiative programmes sponsored by the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which are now administered by DCLG.
	The Department does not hold county level data for the full suite of area based programmes.
	The 2008-09 budget allocations will be set following the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
	
		
			  (i) Details of projected budgets by region 
			  £ million 
			  Region/programme  2006-07 budget  2007-08 provisional budget 
			  Eastern   
			 Liveability Fund 0.1 — 
			 Growth Areas 17.0 32.9 
			 Thames Gateway 36.8 49.3 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 3.9 3.9 
			 New Deal for Communities 7.9 8.1 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund 1.0 — 
			 Local Area Agreements 29.1 — 
			 ERDF 5.8 7.7 
			 Total 101.6 101.9 
			
			  East Midlands   
			 Liveability Fund 0.1 — 
			 Growth Areas 21.0 29.2 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 31.0 31.0 
			 New Deal for Communities 20.3 17.4 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund 1.7 — 
			 Local Area Agreements 99.2 — 
			 ERDF 13.8 17.9 
			 Total 187.1 95.5 
			
			  London   
			 Liveability Fund 0.1 — 
			 Growth Areas 20.0 27.7 
			 Thames Gateway 59.2 82.8 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 119.0 108.8 
			 New Deal for Communities 70.0 71.2 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund 13.8 — 
			 Local Area Agreements 83.7 — 
			 ERDF 9.3 12.1 
			 Total 375.1 302.6 
			
			  North East   
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 28.5 53.8 
			 Liveability Fund 0.1 — 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 65.1 64.1 
			 New Deal for Communities 27.8 23.5 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund 5.0 — 
			 Local Area Agreements 31.5 — 
			 ERDF 23.3 30.3 
			 Total 181.3 171.7 
			
			  North West   
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 178.9 196.7 
			 Liveability Fund 0.1 — 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 143 142.6 
			 New Deal for Communities 42.5 37.6 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund 22.6 — 
			 Local Area Agreements 79.0 — 
			 ERDF 66.5 86.3 
			 Total 532.6 463.2 
			
			  South East   
			 Liveability Fund 0.1 — 
			 Growth Areas 31.0 46.5 
			 Thames Gateway 51.0 50.9 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 3.4 3.9 
			 New Deal for Communities 14.9 14.4 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund 3.2 — 
			 Local Area Agreements 66.5 — 
			 ERDF 1.6 2.0 
			 Total 171.7 117.7 
			
			  South West   
			 Liveability Fund 0.1 — 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 10.6 10.5 
			 New Deal for Communities 15.8 14.4 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund 11.1 — 
			 Local Area Agreements 15.6 — 
			 ERDF 18.2 23.5 
			 Total 71.4 48.4 
			
			  West Midlands   
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 52 79.5 
			 Liveability Fund 0.1 — 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 70.0 74.6 
			 New Deal for Communities 46.5 45 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund 5.8 — 
			 Local Area Agreements 50.4 — 
			 ERDF 27.9 36.3 
			 Total 252.7 235.4 
			
			  Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 63.0 86.5 
			 Liveability Fund 0.1 — 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 79.0 86.0 
			 New Deal for Communities 27.3 16.8 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund 6.1 — 
			 Local Area Agreements 68.2 — 
			 ERDF 48.4 62.9 
			 Total 292.1 252.2 
		
	
	There is also a budget of £17.7 million in 2006-07 and in 2007-08 for Coalfields Regeneration Trust, for which a regional breakdown is not currently available.
	In addition there is a central support budget of £6.5 million in 2006-07 and a provisional budget of £5.6 million in 2007-08 for New Deal for Communities.

Departmental Finance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was  (a) originally budgeted for 2005-06,  (b) not spent in 2005-06,  (c) carried forward to 2006-07 and  (d) budgeted for 2006-07 for each area-based initiative for which her Department is responsible.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was established on 5 May 2006 following the Machinery of Government changes.
	The following table sets out the data for the area based initiative programmes sponsored by the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which are now administered by DCLG.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Budget 2005-06  Under spend on budget 2005-06  End year flexibility earned on 2005-06 underspend  Budget 2006-07 
			  Programme  (a)  (b)  (c)  (d) 
			 New Deal for Communities 274.6 2.0 2.0 279.5 
			 Liveability 39.5 1.8 1.8 (1)1.0 
			 Crime Wardens 8.1 0.0 0.0 (2)— 
			 Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders 19.3 0.0 0.0 (2)— 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 38.1 0.0 0.0 (2)— 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 525.0 6.6 6.6 525.0 
			 Coalfields Regeneration Trust 20.7 2.1 2.1 17.7 
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 304.3 0.8 0.8 317.6 
			 Growth Areas 73.2 0 0 89.0 
			 European Regional Development Fund 228.8 2.1 2.1 214.9 
			 Thames Gateway 161.5 0 0 147.0 
			 (1) Balance included in Local Area Agreements (LAAs) from 2006-07.  (2) Included in Local Area Agreements (LAAs) from 2006-07.

Departmental Finance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget was for each area-based initiative for  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06 for each (i) region and (ii) county.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was established on 5 May 2006 following the Machinery of Government changes.
	The following table sets out the amount of grants and payments made by region for the area based initiative programmes sponsored by the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which are now administered by DCLG.
	The Department does not hold county level data for the full suite of area based programmes.
	
		
			  (i) Details of projected budgets by region 
			  £ million 
			  Region/Programme  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Eastern   
			 Liveability Fund 4.3 4.5 
			 Growth Areas 14.3 20.4 
			 Thames Gateway 26.5 33.3 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal fund 3.5 3.5 
			 New Deal for Communities 10.5 11.2 
			 ERDF 8.0 6.3 
			 Crime Wardens 2.5 — 
			 Neighbourhood Management pathfinders 1.0 1.0 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 0.7 0.6 
			 Total 71.3 80.8 
			
			  East Midlands   
			 Liveability Fund 4.7 4.8 
			 Growth Areas 16.0 15.6 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal fund 29.1 33.6 
			 New Deal for Communities 24.8 24.8 
			 ERDF 18.8 14.7 
			 Crime Wardens 1.8 0.9 
			 Neighbourhood Management pathfinders 1.8 1.8 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 3.1 2.7 
			 Total 100.1 98.9 
			
			  London   
			 Liveability Fund 4.7 4.6 
			 Growth Areas 2.0 5.8 
			 Thames Gateway 70.5 68.9 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal fund 100.7 128.8 
			 New Deal for Communities 62.2 72.1 
			 ERDF 12.7 9.9 
			 Crime Wardens 3.9 3.0 
			 Neighbourhood Management pathfinders 2.4 2.4 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 9.3 8.2 
			 Total 268.4 303.7 
			
			  North East   
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 28 31.9 
			 Liveability Fund 3.7 3.9 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal fund 59.4 69.1 
			 New Deal for Communities 27.7 31.1 
			 ERDF 31.7 24.9 
			 Crime Wardens 2.5 — 
			 Neighbourhood Management pathfinders 2.5 2.5 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 6.2 5.5 
			 Total 161.7 168.9 
			
			  North West   
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 118.3 176.6 
			 Liveability Fund 4.2 4.3 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal fund 124.5 149.1 
			 New Deal for Communities 41.4 36.2 
			 ERDF 90.4 70.8 
			 Crime Wardens 3.8 1.5 
			 Neighbourhood Management pathfinders 3.7 3.7 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 11.0 9.7 
			 Total 397.3 451.9 
			  South East   
			 Liveability Fund 4.5 4.5 
			 Growth Areas 30.1 31.3 
			 Thames Gateway 50.8 59.3 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal fund 4.6 4.6 
			 New Deal for Communities 12.8 12.0 
			 ERDF 2.2 1.7 
			 Crime Wardens 1.8 1.2 
			 Neighbourhood Management pathfinders 1.2 2.3 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 1.2 1.0 
			 Total 109.2 117.9 
			
			  South West   
			 Liveability Fund 4.7 4.3 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal fund 9.1 10.7 
			 New Deal for Communities 13.9 11 
			 ERDF 24.6 19.3 
			 Crime Wardens 0.9 — 
			 Neighbourhood Management pathfinders 1.5 1.5 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 1.4 1.2 
			 Total 56.1 48 
			
			  West Midlands   
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 20.6 49.3 
			 Liveability Fund 4.5 4.8 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal fund 56.3 59.7 
			 New Deal for Communities 39.3 42.1 
			 ERDF 38.0 29.7 
			 Single Regeneration Fund — — 
			 Crime Wardens 1.2 1.5 
			 Neighbourhood Management pathfinders 1.9 1.9 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 4.6 4.2 
			 Total 166.4 193.2 
			
			  Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 30.0 45.4 
			 Liveability Fund 3.7 3.8 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal fund 62.8 66.0 
			 New Deal for Communities 27.7 28.1 
			 ERDF 65.9 51.5 
			 Crime Wardens 1.1 — 
			 Neighbourhood Management pathfinders 2.2 2.2 
			 Community Empowerment Networks 5.5 4.6 
			 Total 198.9 201.6 
		
	
	There was also an expenditure of £17.7 million in 2004-05 and £20.7 million in 2005-06 for Coalfields Regeneration Trust, for which the regional breakdown is not currently available.
	In addition, there was a central support expenditure of £9.7 million in 2004-05 and £6 million in 2005-06 for New Deal for Communities programme.

Departmental Staff

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent staff worked in the private office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005-06.

Angela Smith: For information relating to 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister the hon. Member for Poplar and Canning Town on (Jim Fitzpatrick) 8 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1245W.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid to her Department from the Access to Work Scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget she plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government Departments; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was established on 5 May 2006. Staff now working within DCLG were formerly employed in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Home Office.
	In 2005-06, £9,278 was paid to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister from the Access to Work scheme. To date in 2006-07, no Access to Work funding has been paid out to this Department, although applications for funds totalling £10,662 have been made. The costs of future reasonable adjustments will be met from departmental resources.
	The Office of Disability Issues (ODI) will also be monitoring the overall situation to ensure that there is no detriment to current and future employees who are disabled.

Fire Control Project

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Department and its predecessors spent on external consultants on the Fire Control Project in each year during the period May 2002 to March 2006.

Angela Smith: Consultants provide a wide range of specialist services and skills to the project. Among the staff they provide are project managers, lawyers, IT specialists, accountants, architects, building engineers, and experts in the property market and in security and resilience. Staff with these skills are not readily available in the civil service.
	The following table(1) gives the information requested:
	(1) The figures are stated net of reimbursements and exclude costs from within the public sector.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 1,524,833 
			 2004-05 9,055,656 
			 2005-06(1) 11,702,057 
			 (1) At the end of 2005-06 the Department clarified its policy in relation to VAT and this resulted in a significant charge to expenditure of VAT that had previously been treated as recoverable.

Fire Service

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 924W, on the Fire Service, whether armed forces personnel would be required to cross picket lines in the event of a fire strike to collect fire appliances and equipment in order to provide emergency fire and rescue cover.

Meg Munn: No.

Fire Service

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firemen  (a) retired and  (b) retired on the grounds of ill health, broken down by type of ill health, in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: holding answer 25 July 2006
	The available information is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Firelighter retirements in England  (whole-time and retained duty system) 
			   Total retirements  Of which: ill health retirements 
			 1998-99 1,306 690 
			 1999-2000 1,294 625 
			 2000-01 1,276 634 
			 2001-02 1,296 497 
			 2002-03 1,529 587 
			 2003-04 1,260 531 
			 2004-05 1,476 348 
		
	
	
		
			  Type of ill health retirement 
			  (Percentage) 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Cancer 2 3 2 1 
			 Cardiovascular 8 5 7 5 
			 Mental Health 21 22 22 23 
			 Musculo Skeletal 50 54 44 54 
			 Neurological 3 2 4 4 
			 Respiratory 3 5 3 4 
			 Senses 6 6 10 4 
			 Other 7 4 9 6 
			  Notes: 2000-01 figures exclude West Sussex and Humberside  2001-02 figures exclude London   Source:  Fire and Rescue Service returns to DCLG

Fire Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the staffing costs, excluding administrative costs, of its Fire Service Group were in the last five years for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: Since 2002 responsibility for Fire Services within my Department has been restructured several times and historic figures are not available in the form requested. In 2005-06 the Fire Service Directorate was merged with the Civil Resilience Directorate. The staffing costs (includes pay, temporary agency staff and secondees) for the combined Directorate in 2005-06 was £18.5 million.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to issue a format for Home Condition Reports which will standardise that content within Home Information Reports.

Yvette Cooper: On 14 June 2006, the Department for Communities and Local Government published the standards for Certification schemes which set out the form of the Home Condition Report. These can be found on the DCLG website at www.communities.gov.uk. The standards also set out the inspection and reporting requirements that Home Inspectors must observe.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice the Information Commissioner has provided in relation to the Register of Home Condition Reports.

Yvette Cooper: The Department for Communities and Local Government has had various discussions with the Information Commissioner's Office about the Home Condition Report Register, and access to it, to ensure that the arrangements comply with data protection and privacy standards.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the publication of further  (a) guidance and  (b) circulars on home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: We expect to set out further information on the dry run and the next steps for market led roll-out of Home Condition Reports with Home Information Packs in the autumn. Further guidance for consumers will follow after that.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average income of a qualified, full-time home inspector.

Yvette Cooper: The cost of a Home Condition Report will be set by the market. The current cost of a mid-level survey is around £400 + VAT. A Home Inspector's income will generally depend on how many inspections they carry out and on the size of the property.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in what circumstances home inspectors  (a) may and  (b) will take photographs as part of their inspection of a property.

Yvette Cooper: The Home Condition Report does not include photographs. However, the Home Inspector may, subject to obtaining the home owner's permission, take photographs during the course of an inspection to supplement the site notes which will form the basis of their preparation of the Home Condition Report. This is the current practice of surveyors when undertaking home surveys.

Homelessness

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what percentage of people in the  (a) Houghton and Washington, East constituency and  (b) Sunderland City council area were (i) homeless and (ii) on Sunderland City's council's housing waiting list in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: (i) Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation, which is collected in respect of households rather than persons, is collected quarterly and at local authority level. The Parliamentary Constituency of Houghton and Washington, East constituency falls entirely within the Sunderland local authority.
	The number of households accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need for each year since 1997-98, and the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation as at 31 March of each year since 1998, is tabled for the Sunderland local authority. The percentage of total number of households in temporary accommodation is also included.
	The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	Information is also collected on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night—and these are also presented in the table.
	
		
			  Number of households in Sunderland (1) accepted as homeless( 1)  and (2) placed in temporary accommodation; (3) the proportion of total households in temporary accommodation; and (4) the number of rough sleepers 
			  ( 1) Number households accepted as homeless  Number of households in TA (31 March snapshot) ( 2) Percentage of households in TA/total households  Number of rough sleepers, people, (June estimate) 
			 1997-98 597 72 0.06 n/a 
			 1998-99 632 278 0.2 n/a 
			 1999-2000 n/a n/a n/a 0 
			 2000-01 735 880 0.7 0 
			 2001-02 690 1,179 1.0 0 
			 2002-03 791 12 0.01 0 
			 2003-04 894 12 0.01 0 
			 2004-05 597 15 0.01 0 
			 2005-06 593 9 0.01 0 
			 (1) Households found to be eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and falling within a priority need group, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty by the local authority.(2 )Based on mid-year estimates of household population. Sources: ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly) and HSSA returns (annual) 
		
	
	(ii) Information about housing waiting lists is not collected at constituency level. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Central dated 7 November 2005,  Official Report, columns 1114-16W, in which the number of households on the housing waiting list for Sunderland local authority, and the percentage of total households in the Sunderland local authority area were presented.

Housing

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of homes were built on brownfield sites in  (a) Bournemouth and  (b) Dorset (i) between 1997 and 2003 and (ii) since 2003.

Yvette Cooper: The information available is from the Department's Land Use Change Statistics. The estimated percentage of new dwellings built on brownfield land are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Bournemouth  Dorset 
			 1997-2003 94 65 
			 2004 100 67

Housing

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to ensure that new houses built under the Sustainable Communities Programme meet high standards of energy efficiency; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Government are committed to improving energy efficiency standards in all housing. The new Buildings Regulations Part L 2006, taken together with changes to strengthen the Building Regulations in 2002 and 2005, will improve energy efficiency standards by 40 per cent. from pre-April 2002 levels. The new draft Code for Sustainable Homes will also raise the environmental standard of housing further and will signal the future direction of Building Regulations.
	To achieve the higher levels of housing growth set out in the Sustainable Communities Plan we recognise that new homes must be built in a sustainable way to reduce their environmental impact and carbon footprint. We have already committed around £400 million to the development of the three growth areas and £850 million for the Thames Gateway up to March 2008. This is to deliver on all aspects of a sustainable community, including environmental performance.

Housing

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the data sources are for her Department's house price index.

Meg Munn: The Department for Communities and Local Government's monthly house price index is a weighted average of prices for a standard mix of dwellings. Dwelling prices come from mortgage completion data from the Regulated Mortgage Survey of the Council of Mortgage Lenders and BankSearch.
	The index is "mix-adjusted" to allow for the fact that different houses are sold in different periods and is achieved partly by fitting a model. The variables in the model include two variables that define similar areas. One is a classification of local authorities into clusters derived by the Office for National Statistics and the other neighbourhood type based on postcode data produced by CACI Ltd. (ACORN). In addition weightings in the "mix-adjustment" are based on transaction data, partly based on data from the Land Registry and partly on past data from the mortgage survey.

Housing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of the total housing stock is key worker housing.

Yvette Cooper: As at mid year 2004 the estimated total amount of housing stock in England was 21,613,000 dwellings.
	In recent years the Government have funded a number of schemes to offer specific housing assistance to key workers in areas experiencing recruitment and retention difficulties: from April 2001 to March 2006, over 22,000 homes for key workers have been provided through the Starter Home Initiative (SHI) and Key Worker Living (KWL) programmes. These include both new homes and provision of equity loans to support purchase of existing homes.
	In addition, certain local authorities will make provision in the planning system for a proportion of new homes to be affordable housing for key worker groups based on specific local needs. We do not hold such information centrally.

Housing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many key worker homes have been built in each region in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: In recent years the Government have funded a number of schemes to offer specific housing assistance to key workers in areas experiencing recruitment and retention difficulties: from April 2001 to March 2006, over 22,000 homes for key workers have been provided through the Starter Home Initiative (SHI) and Key Worker Living (KWL) programmes. These include both new homes and provision of equity loans to support purchase of existing homes.
	The following table details the number of new build homes provided for key workers through SHI and KWL over the past five years. 2005-06 completions are provisional until the Housing Corporation end of year processes are finalised.
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 ( 1) 2005-06  
			 London 0 0 41 228 771 1,040 
			 South East 0 16 144 1,282 1,208 2,650 
			 East 0 21 5 100 261 387 
			 South West 0 20 14 0 0 34 
			  0 57 204 1,610 2,240 4,111 
			 (1) Provisional 
		
	
	In addition, certain local authorities will make provision in the planning system for a proportion of new homes to be affordable housing for key worker groups based on specific local needs. We do not hold such information centrally.

Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the main obstacles to the building of affordable housing in rural areas.

Yvette Cooper: In July 2005 my Department and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set up the Affordable Rural Housing Commission to inquire into the scale, nature and implications of the shortage of affordable housing for rural communities in England and to make recommendations to address unmet need.
	The Commission reported in May 2006 setting out its findings, including barriers to the supply of affordable housing in rural areas. The Government aims to respond constructively to the agenda they have set using a range of channels and mechanisms, including the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 39WS, on the Housing Act 2004, why the guidance to local authorities was not published on her departmental website on 6 July.

Yvette Cooper: The guidance note on Empty Dwelling Management Orders was available on request on Thursday 6 July and was subsequently posted on the Department for Communities and Local Government website on Monday 10 July.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many properties have been  (a) bought and  (b) part-bought under the Social Homebuy scheme;
	(2)  how many  (a) local authorities and  (b) housing associations are offering the Social Homebuy scheme.

Meg Munn: The Social Homebuy scheme became available in April 2006 and provides a new opportunity for tenants of participating local authorities and housing associations to purchase a share in their home. The scheme is currently being offered by 42 housing associations and one local authority. My officials are in discussions with other local authorities who have expressed an interest in Social Homebuy. The Housing Corporation plans to hold a further bidding round in the autumn to enable more housing associations to participate.
	To-date there has been one completed sale in the housing association sector. The purchaser bought outright with the available discount. More sales are expected shortly. Although a number of local authority tenants have applied to buy shares in their homes, no sales have yet been completed.

Housing

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much she has allocated to  (a) Newham's Local Space initiative,  (b) Ealing's Safe Haven partnership and  (c) L&Q Housing Trust's HILS programme; what targets were set for these programmes for the number of families in temporary accommodation to be provided with settled homes; how many families in temporary accommodation have been provided with settled homes through each programme; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 25 July 2006
	The London borough of Newham created a registered social landlord called Local Space to acquire properties to be leased to the council for temporary occupation. Local Space received a social housing grant allocation from the Housing Corporation in 2005-06 totalling £25 million over two years to acquire a minimum of 1,000 properties.
	Ealing's Safe Haven London, a charity specially established for the purpose, is to acquire houses and flats over a two-year period, including some new build stock and lease them back to the council under an arrangement which provides for the transfer of the properties to a housing association at expiry of the lease. The project does not benefit from a Housing Corporation grant, or any other grant. To date 50 properties have been purchased and occupied.
	The London and Quadrant Housing Trust (LQHT) Homelessness Initiative Leasing Scheme (HILS) is a programme which commenced in 2003-04, administered by the Housing Corporation and was designed to help eliminate the use of bed-and-breakfast accommodation as temporary housing. Its remit was to deliver 500 units at a cost of £17.5 million.
	The Trust has delivered 401 units in agreed local authority areas, which they have leased back to the local authority for a period of 10 years. The local authority nominates households who would otherwise be housed in bed and breakfast to be accommodated in these units.
	Building on these initiatives, £30 million will be made available through an Extra Homes pilot in London to help families move from temporary accommodation into settled homes. Detailed guidance on submitting proposals for this pilot will be issued later in the year.

Housing

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority and housing association homes were  (a) sold,  (b) demolished and  (c) added to the public sector rented housing stock in each housing local authority area in Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 1996-97.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 25 July 2006
	The numbers of local authority (LA) dwellings sold in each year since 1998-99 are published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/383/Table648Excel545Kb_idl156383.xls.
	Information on years prior to those shown is not readily available. The numbers of Registered Social Landlord (RSL) social rent dwellings sold in each year since 1997-98 are shown in table A.
	The numbers of social units for rent (LA & RSL) demolished in Yorkshire and the Humber as reported by local authorities in each year from 2000-01 to 2004-05 are shown in table B. Information for years prior to those shown is not readily available.
	Public sector social units for rent are provided with funding from central government and through planning agreements (S106) between councils and developers. For the number provided with government funding in each year I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil Mr. Laws on 21 March 2006,  Official Report, column 279W. For the numbers of social units for rent provided without any government funding through Section 106 planning agreements please see table C. Information is available only for the years shown.
	
		
			  Table A: Sales of Registered Social Landlord social rent stock through, preserved right-to-buy, rent to mortgage and right-to-acquire 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Barnsley 2 0 2 1 0 3 10 2 
			 Bradford 5 7 8 12 5 20 594 578 
			 Calderdale 1 2 4 1 172 167 243 241 
			 Craven 0 0 1 0 0 1 26 21 
			 Doncaster 6 3 0 1 4 5 2 1 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 3 0 1 0 2 3 1 
			 Hambleton 41 51 60 49 42 34 47 12 
			 Harrogate 2 3 7 4 1 4 3 2 
			 Kingston upon Hull 1 1 5 4 6 1 5 5 
			 Kirklees 4 3 4 3 4 4 7 3 
			 Leeds 7 12 14 16 16 18 30 13 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 North Lincolnshire 1 0 1 0 0 2 11 3 
			 Richmondshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rotherham 1 0 1 4 0 1 0 0 
			 Ryedale 24 26 50 23 21 10 7 11 
			 Scarborough 0 0 0 0 0 3 24 120 
			 Selby 1 0 1 3 2 2 3 1 
			 Sheffield 10 10 9 18 13 12 14 17 
			 Wakefield 1 6 10 14 2 8 2 2 
			 York 39 31 13 10 8 5 8 4 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 146 158 190 164 296 303 1,039 1,038 
			  Note: Information on years prior to those shown is not readily available. There may be a small number of RSL sales to the private sector which do not appear in the table as this information is not held centrally. Some RSLs with small numbers of stock are not required to provided this information and therefore if there have been any sales to sitting tenants they aren't included above.   Source: Returns from the Housing Corporation to the Department for Communities and Local Government (RSR). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Demolitions of Social Rent stock, 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Barnsley 0 210 n/a 177 133 
			 Bradford 284 383 550 77 61 
			 Calderdale 255 86 34 143 200 
			 Craven 0 n/a n/a 0 0 
			 Doncaster 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hambleton 0 38 n/a 0 0 
			 Harrogate 0 0 21 0 0 
			 Kingston upon Hull 0 950 n/a 252 476 
			 Kirklees 0 n/a 100 141 0 
			 Leeds 866 322 652 256 290 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0 n/a 5 4 2 
			 North Lincolnshire 150 1 7 0 n/a 
			 Richmondshire 0 0 n/a 0 n/a 
			 Rotherham 159 n/a 152 38 125 
			 Ryedale 0 n/a n/a 0 0 
			 Scarborough 160 n/a 117 10 0 
			 Selby 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sheffield 1000 923 n/a n/a 1398 
			 Wakefield 74 56 93 127 163 
			 York 0 n/a 0 0 0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,948 2,969 1,731 1,225 2,848 
			  n/a = Not available   Source: Returns from local authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government (HFR). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Social Rent units provided through S106 agreements with no central funding 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Barnsley 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bradford 0 0 0 8 7 
			 Calderdale 0 15 11 5 6 
			 Craven 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Doncaster 6 9 11 0 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 0 3 26 21 
			 Hambleton 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Harrogate 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kingston upon Hull 0 0 0 0 14 
			 Kirklees 3 3 19 14 0 
			 Leeds 48 29 29 10 49 
			 North East Lincolnshire 7 5 0 0 16 
			 North Lincolnshire 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Richmondshire 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Rotherham 0 0 13 6 0 
			 Ryedale 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Scarborough 0 3 0 0 0 
			 Selby 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Sheffield 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wakefield 10 2 3 0 10 
			 York 8 57 46 84 102 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 82 123 135 154 237 
			  Source: Returns from local authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government (HSSA).

Housing

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the time scale is for the introduction of choice-based lettings; what the results were of the pilot projects; and how she expects the policy to operate in rural areas where there is a shortage of social housing.

Meg Munn: The Government have set a target for all local authorities to operate choice-based lettings by 2010; and an interim target of 25 per cent. of local authorities by 2005. As at April 2005 some 27 per cent. of local authorities said that they offered choice-based lettings.
	The report of the evaluation of the pilot schemes was published in May 2004, and showed that they were successful in achieving their aim of establishing more open systems that are seen to offer customers choice. They also did not appear to disadvantage vulnerable households, who continue to access a significant proportion of vacant properties and often bid successfully for the most popular, and led to improvements in housing management performance with, for example, re-let times reducing substantially in some areas.
	Choice-based lettings schemes have already been operating for some time in a number of rural areas including Cornwall, Herefordshire and Wiltshire.

Housing

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information facilities will be made available to ensure that tenants have knowledge of stock availability under the introduction of choice-based lettings.

Yvette Cooper: Choice-based lettings schemes use a variety of media to advertise available vacancies, including websites, newspapers, free sheets, property shops and telephone services. Adverts will include brief details about the property and may include details about the area. In addition, schemes will usually publish "feedback" information for each advertised property that has been let, such as the number of "bids" received and the priority level of successful applicants, to help home seekers make judgments about which properties to bid for in future.
	The transparency that choice-based letting schemes offer means that the amount, location and type of all stock available should be made easily available for home-seekers.

Key Workers

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of people under 30 are categorised as key workers, broken down by region.

Yvette Cooper: We do not hold data on the percentage of people under 30 years who are categorised as key workers. This information is held by key worker employers.
	A full list of eligible key worker employers for the Key Worker Living programme can be found in Annex B of the Capital Funding Guide on the Housing Corporation's website www.housingcorp.gov.uk.

Life Expectancy

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to tackle low life expectancy in areas of deprivation.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 20 July 2006
	My Department has a specific role in improving health in deprived areas through a range of policies and programmes which impact on the determinants of health. We have been supporting and investing in these areas since 2001, through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. Local strategic partnerships are responsible for allocating these resources on local priorities to tackle inequalities, and most have prioritised specific funding to improve health, or funding aimed at tackling some of the wider determinants of ill health.

Local Government

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has given local authorities on whether they should have a Cabinet member with a specific public health brief.

Phil Woolas: No such guidance has been issued.

Local Government

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the merits of integrating the delivery of street cleansing, waste collection, waste disposal and waste planning by local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Defra has not assessed in detail the merits of integrating these services. However, we are aware of a number of studies which show that where waste collection and waste disposal are split between two tiers of local government, there can be real benefits in authorities working together to deliver an integrated waste service. For example, a recent report by the Innovation Forum, a group of excellent rated authorities, highlights the benefits of joint working on waste in two-tier areas, citing possible efficiency savings of up to £150 million nationally.
	Our consultation on the Waste Strategy Review stresses the need for joint working between authorities, integrating strategy development and spatial planning. The Government are considering further how we can facilitate joint working by authorities.
	Partnership working is one of the ways local authorities can realise the £300 million of efficiency savings identified in the Gershon review from waste and street cleansing during the period 2005 to 2008. The Department for Communities and Local Government's Strategic Partnering Taskforce's final report, published in 2004, said that strategic partnerships are one of the main service delivery options available to local authorities in their quest for efficient and effective high quality services.

Luton Town Football Club

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department and its predecessor has had within the last 12 months with  (a) representatives of the board of Luton Town Football Club,  (b) the chief executive of Luton Town Football Club,  (c) representatives of Luton borough council,  (d) representatives of South Bedfordshire district council,  (e) representatives of Bedfordshire county council,  (f) representatives of the East of England Development Agency and  (g) representatives of the East of England regional assembly regarding the proposal to relocate Luton Town Football Club; what representations have been received from each; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: holding answer 24 July 2006
	The Department for Communities and Local Government and its predecessor have received no representations from the organisations identified in the question. Luton borough council, and neighbouring authorities, have briefed the Government Office on the proposal but no advice was sought, nor any offered. As the application may be referred to the Secretary of State for her consideration, it would be inappropriate to comment on the merits of the proposal.

Millennium Dome

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) the Deputy Prime Minister and  (b) another Minister within the former Department decided whether or not to call in the Meridian Delta/AEG planning application for the Millennium Dome to Greenwich Borough Council.

Yvette Cooper: Holding answer 11 July 2006
	I took the decision to leave the planning application to Greenwich Borough Council to determine.

Ministerial Meetings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she last met her Scottish counterpart; and what subjects were discussed.

Angela Smith: The Secretary of State last spoke to her Scottish counterpart Malcolm Chisholm MSP on 12 June 2006. They discussed a range of issues of mutual interest.

National Land

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the estimated total cost is of the National Land Use Database;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the  (a) status and  (b) introduction of the National Land Use Database.

Meg Munn: There are two projects under the National Land Use Database heading. One is the National Land Use Database of Previously-Developed Land (NLUD-PDL). This was launched in 1998 and has been an annual survey since 2001. The latest report is on the Department's web site at: www.communities.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=l147698.
	The other is the Full National Land Use Database, also known as NLUD-Baseline. This would show land use and, separately, land cover for all land parcels in England. The Department for Communities and Local Government has funded developmental work, a report on which is on the Department's web site at: www.communities.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=l161713.
	At present there are no plans to implement the full database. A simplified version, the Generalised Land Use Database has, however, been created and is available on the website at: www.communities.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=l146084.
	NLUD-PDL is run jointly by the Department and English Partnerships. English Partnerships carries out the data collection at a cost of £250,000 a year. It is not known what the cost of Full NLUD would be. This would depend on the outcome of competitive tendering, the scope of the database and the potential for cost recovery through sales. As stated, however, there are no plans to implement Full NLUD.

New Growths Points Programme

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the New Growth Points programme; and where the development will be located.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement on the new growth points programme which I made on 20 June.
	The new growth points programme is aimed at areas of high demand that are additional to and outside the existing growth areas, which include London.

Oil-fired Equipment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to raise standards for installation and servicing of oil-fired equipment.

Angela Smith: My Department is responsible for the Installation of oil fired equipment through the Building Regulations which set standards for safety and energy efficiency. Safety improvements were introduced in April 2002 and additional changes introduced in April 2005 mean that from April 2007 more energy efficient condensing oil boilers will normally be required.
	To improve compliance my Department is working to attract more installers into approved competent persons schemes which demand reasonable standards of expertise and enable the self-certification of compliance.
	Environmental issues are becoming more important however and the Government are looking to see how better maintenance could be achieved in the future.
	Servicing is a matter for equipment owners but to assist in this the Building Regulations require that chimneys and flues should be labelled with their safe performance limits and oil tanks should be labelled with advice on dealing with spills. My Department also produces a leaflet for householders encouraging routine servicing of combustion appliances and flues to avoid the dangers that can otherwise arise.

Olympic Delivery Authority Partner

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in her Department have held meetings with representatives of companies or consortia on the shortlist for the contract as the Olympic Delivery Authority Deliver Partner; which (i) Ministers and (ii) companies or consortia partners attended each meeting; what the location was of each meeting; what was discussed at each meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: holding answer 24 July 2006
	Department for Communities and Local Government officials have regular meetings with Developers and Housing Companies in order to take forward the government's regeneration agenda but no meetings have taken place with any of the companies or consortia regarding contracts for the Olympic Delivery Authority partner.

Ordnance Survey

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the grounds for non-compliance were in the bid by The Ordnance Survey to supply geographical information to the Government.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 24 July 2006
	The procurement process for the replacement Pan Government Agreement is not yet complete.

Ordnance Survey

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Government has to review the Pan-Government Agreement with Ordnance Survey.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has undertaken a competitive procurement for the replacement of the existing Pan-Government Agreement with Ordnance Survey. DCLG is currently consulting with Pan-Government Agreement members on the procurement and on future arrangements for the provision of geographic information to Government.

Ordnance Survey

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) information and  (b) products Ordnance Survey has provided to the Valuation Office Agency in the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Valuation Office Agency is a signatory to the Pan Government Agreement and has licensed access to coverage of Great Britain of the following Ordnance Survey datasets:
	 Large Scale Detailed Mapping
	OS MasterMap Topographic Layer
	OS MasterMap Integrated Transport Network Layer
	OS MasterMap Address Layer
	Land-Line
	1:10000 Scale Raster
	 Small Scale Mapping
	1:25000 Scale Colour Raster
	1:50000 Scale Colour Raster
	1:250000 Scale Colour Raster
	Strategi
	Meridian 2
	 Location Mapping
	MiniScale
	 Address Referencing
	Address-Point
	Code-Point and Code-Point with polygons
	 Roads
	OSCAR Asset-Manager
	OSCAR Traffic Manager
	 Boundary Data
	Boundary-Line
	 Height Data
	Land-Form Profile

Parks Funding

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has issued to local authorities on the prioritisation of funding for parks.

Phil Woolas: Public parks and green spaces are primarily funded by local authorities through unhypothecated formula grant. Central Government do not dictate how much should be spent by each local authority on their parks; this is clearly a matter for them to determine in line with local priorities.
	We have made more money available for parks over the past five years, through revenue support, the Liveability Fund, and the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund. We have also provided support to local authorities to improve the quality of their parks through the CABE Space enabling scheme and the How To Programme.
	The quality of urban parks has improved since 2000, as recognised by the recent NAO report, 'Enhancing Urban Green Spaces'. We remain committed to supporting local authorities deliver quality parks and green spaces through our Cleaner, Safer, Greener Communities programme.

Planning Delivery Grant

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to change the methodology for the allocation of Planning Delivery Grant.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the statement titled 'Housing and Planning Delivery Grant' which was made to the House on 24 July. This statement announced the launch of a consultation on proposals for a new housing and planning delivery grant and the proposed criteria for allocations for the final year of the current Planning Delivery Grant. The document entitled 'Housing and Planning Delivery Grant Consultation Paper' and the corresponding document 'Planning Delivery Grant 2007/08: Proposed Allocations Criteria' are available in the Libraries of the House.

Right to Buy

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will suspend the right to buy in areas where demand for affordable rented housing exceeds the availability of such properties; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government support the principle of right to buy and has no plans to change the scheme in that way. The Government are introducing social home buy so that more tenants can have the chance to buy a share of their home.

Sexual Orientation Regulations

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Sexual Orientation Regulations will require  (a) Anglican churches and  (b) churches of other denominations to perform civil partnership services in their churches; whether the Regulations will apply to teaching in Sunday Schools; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: holding answer 24 July 2006
	A consultation on proposals to prohibit sexual orientation discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services through regulations to be made under Part 3 of the Equality Act closed on 5 June. The consultation made clear that the Government considers that it is very important that the application of these regulations to religious activities should be clearly defined and understood and proposed that activities closely linked to religious observance or practices that arise from the basic doctrines of a faith should be exempted from the regulations. The proposed exemption for religious organisations will be available to both Anglican churches and churches of other denominations and we are currently considering what activities should be covered by the exemption in the light of the consultation findings.
	A civil partnership cannot be registered on religious premises. Registering a civil partnership is an entirely secular process and the Civil Partnership Act prohibits any religious service from taking place during the registration.

Sheree Dodd

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1759W, on Sheree Dodd, what recruitment process was undertaken to fill the vacancy of interim head of news.

Meg Munn: The Directorate of Communication approached Sheree Dodd to work as an interim Head of News for the Department for Communities and Local Government while a full Civil Service recruitment process was completed. This was a short term role and required a person with expertise and recent knowledge of Whitehall. Sheree Dodd was approached as she had previously filled a similar role for another Government Department. Sheree Dodd's employment as the Department for Communities and Local Government Head of News has now terminated and the permanent post has been filled following a Whitehall competition.

Sheree Dodd

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1759W, on Sheree Dodd, whether Sheree Dodd  (a) has provided and  (b) continues to provide press support to the Deputy Prime Minister since the changes to the machinery of government.

Meg Munn: The information is as follows.
	 (a) The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) press office provided interim support to the Deputy Prime Minister's press office until the recent machinery of Government changes were completed. As interim DCLG Head of News during that period, Sheree Dodd occasionally provided support to the Deputy Prime Minister's press office.
	 (b) Sheree Dodd is no longer Head of News at the DCLG.

Thames Gateway Partnership

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish the minutes of the meeting on 28 February 2006 between officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and organisations from the Thames Gateway Partnership; what the  (a) name and  (b) job title was of each person attending; and what organisation each represented.

Yvette Cooper: No meeting of the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership took place on 28 February 2006. However, a meeting of the Thames Gateway Kent Partnership took place, at which the Department for Communities and Local Government (then the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) attended.
	The draft minutes of this meeting will be placed in the Library and the names, titles and organisations of those who attended are as tabled:
	
		
			  Name  Representing  Title/organisation 
			 Mr. Rob Bennett Thames Gateway Kent Partnership (TGKP) (Chair) Director, BBP Regeneration 
			 Cllr Andrew Bowles Swale Forward (Vice Chair) Leader, Swale Borough Council 
			 Cllr John Burden Kent Thameside Delivery Board Leader, Gravesham Borough Council 
			 Cllr Rodney Chambers Medway Renaissance Partnership Leader, Medway Council 
			 Cllr Mrs. Jane Chitty Medway Council Councillor, Medway Council 
			 Mr. Paul Clark Member of Parliament Member of Parliament 
			 Mr. Barry Clout Medway Renaissance Partnership Executive Officer, Kent Council for Voluntary Youth Service 
			 Mr. Christopher Crook Medway Renaissance Partnership (representing Alan Cherry) Managing Director, Countryside Properties 
			 Cllr John Davies Kent County Council (representing Graham Gibbens) Councillor, Kent County Council 
			 Mr. Paul Hudson South East England Development Agency Director of Development and Infrastructure, SEEDA 
			 Cllr Tony Martin Kent Thameside Delivery Board Councillor, Dartford Borough Council 
			 Mr. Peter Southcombe North Kent Community Forum Chair, North Kent Community Forum 
			 Ms Christine White Swale Forward Director, Swale Volunteer and Community Development Centre 
			
			  Observers:   
			 Mr. Harvey Bradshaw Environment Agency Kent Area Manager, Environment Agency 
			 Mr. Gwyn Drake Highways Agency Divisional Director, Highways Agency 
			 Mr. Ben Stoneman ODPM (now DCLG) North Kent Programme Manager, Thames Gateway Delivery Unit 
			
			  Also present:   
			 Ms Judith Armitt Medway Council Chief Executive, Medway Council 
			 Mr. Mark Bilsborough Swale Borough Council Chief Executive, Swale Borough Council 
			 Mr. Padraig Herlihy Sport England South East Head of Strategic Planning and Partnerships, Sport England South East 
			 Mr. Alex Homfray Culture Thames Gateway North Kent Cultural Co-Coordinator, Culture Thames Gateway North Kent 
			 Mr. David Liston-Jones TGKP Chief Executive, Thames Gateway Kent Partnership 
			 Mr. Greg MacDonald Swale Forward Programme Director, Swale Forward 
			 Mr. Pete Raine Kent County Council Director of Strategic Planning, Kent County Council 
			 Miss Linda Searle TGKP Personal Assistant, TGKP 
			 Mr. David Tuck Genecon Partner, Genecon 
			 Mr. Michael Ward Kent Thameside Delivery Board Chief Executive, Kent Thameside Delivery Board 
			 Mr. Alan Watkins Press Reporter, Kent Messenger 
			 Mr. Jim Wintour Gravesham Borough Council Managing Director, Gravesham Borough Council

Urban and Economic Development Group

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department and its predecessors have provided to the Urban and Economic Development Group since 1997; and for what purposes.

Phil Woolas: Since 1997, the Department for Communities and Local Government and its predecessors have paid a total of £488,000 to the Urban and Economic Development Group (URBED) Ltd. for a number of research consultancy projects. These have included:
	(i) Living Places: Urban Renaissance in the South East—a guide to best practice in urban renaissance in towns and cities in south east England;
	(ii) Changing Places Project—to disseminate examples of good practice in urban renaissance by setting up and maintaining a website of case studies and holding symposia/ workshops on urban renaissance themes;
	(iii) Towns and Cities: Partners in Urban Renaissance—to explore the different challenges and lessons learnt from delivering urban renaissance in 24 partner towns and cities;
	(iv) Assessing Urban Housing Capacity—a guide to better practice to accompany Planning Policy Guidance 3: Housing;
	(v) Strategies for Smaller Centres—to provide examples of town centre renaissance for inclusion in forthcoming better practice guidance to accompany Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres.

Valuation Office Agency

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) Locality Definitions and  (b) Neighbourhood Adjustment Factors are used in the Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model.

Phil Woolas: A "locality", within the Valuation Office Agency's (VOA) Automated Valuation Model is a contiguous geographic space or area within which the dwellings are considered to be subject to the same or similar market forces. Localities have been defined (or delineated) by experienced chartered surveyors employed within the VOA using their market and valuation knowledge.
	Locality Adjustment Factors are used in regression to establish relative differences among localities (the term "neighbourhood" was initially used to describe what the VOA now calls localities). The Locality Adjustment Factor is a logarithmic variable applied to each of approximately 10,000 localities. Every locality has a Locality Adjustment Factor derived from the average value, and average size, of dwellings in the locality at a required point in time.

Valuation Office Agency

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the multiple regression formula used as part of the Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model is; and what each variable in the model is.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency's (VOA) Automated Valuation Model (AVM) is designed to use sales to determine the relationship between sale price and property attributes, so that it may subsequently be used to predict property values from recorded property attribute data. The Agency's Multiple Regression Models have a log linear structure and the calibrated multiple regression formula looks like this:
	Ln (Y) = a + b1X1 + b2X2 + b3X3 . . .
	Where:
	Y = Property price
	Ln = Natural logarithm
	Xl,2,3 = Property attribute 1,2,3 etc
	b1,2,3 = Coefficient 1,2,3 etc
	a = Constant
	Variables in the model are derived from the property attribute data, and will differ by billing authority area. Details of variables could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Valuation Office Agency

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many value significant codes are available for capture electronically by the Valuation Office Agency for council tax liability purposes.

Phil Woolas: Value significant codes are used by the Valuation Office Agency to support decisions on banding. The Agency does not have any responsibility for liability, which is a function of local government. For further detail I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 9 January 2006,  Official Report, column 274W to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) and the reply given on 26 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1171W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles).

Valuation Office Agency

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what access the Valuation Office Agency has to the National Land Use Database.

Phil Woolas: None

Valuation Office Agency

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times the joint Valuation Office Agency and Local Government Association Steering Group has met.

Phil Woolas: The Joint Valuation Office Agency and Local Government Association Steering Group has met on 11 occasions, between May 2001 and June 2005, largely to discuss the preparations for the 2005 non-domestic rating revaluation.

Active Duty (Deployment)

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of service personnel were deployed on active duty in  (a) January and  (b) July of each year since 1976.

Tom Watson: The most current figures collected from manual records show that on 11 July 2006 the deployment of UK service personnel on operations overseas was:
	
		
			  Service  Number of personnel deployed 
			 All Services 15,170 
			 Naval Service 1,760 
			 Army 11,240 
			 RAF 2,180 
			  Notes:  1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent disclosure of sensitive information.  2. Figures include mobilised reservists. 
		
	
	Figures for the number of deployed UK Service personnel are not available in a consistent time series; however, percentages of Service personnel undertaking operations and other military tasks are published in the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts.
	Figures from 2001-02 to 2005-06 are shown in the following tables, which have been extracted from each Annual Report. Summary information for 1998-99 and 1999-2000 was published in the respective Ministry of Defence Performance Reports (CM4520, CM5000), copies of which are available in the Library of the House. This information was not compiled on a comparable basis to those set out as follows.
	Quarterly information for years predating the 1998 Strategic Defence Review is not held centrally.
	The figures given as follows report the percentage of regular armed forces undertaking operations and other military tasks. These figures are quarterly averages and are calculated by comparing the number of personnel undertaking operations and other military tasks against the total strength of the armed forces. Figures for 2005-06 are collated using a different methodology, and are therefore not comparable.
	
		
			  Percentage of regular armed forces undertaking operations and other military tasks( 1)  during 2005-06( 2,3) 
			  Percentage 
			   April to June  July to September  October to December  January to March 
			 Naval Service 11.6 9.3 12.1 13.5 
			 Army 21.0 22.0 22.8 25.1 
			 RAF 13.3 11.9 12.3 13.4 
			 (1) Includes activities such as nuclear deterrence, military aid to the Civil Authorities and to the Civil Powers in Northern Ireland, integrity of UK waters and airspace, defence and security of the overseas territories and of the Cyprus sovereign base areas and defence relations, alliances and support to wider British interests.  (2 )These figures are quarterly averages and reflect the burden of activity imposed by the operations and military tasks undertaken by each service. Figures are based on man-day equivalents.  (3 )Percentages include personnel in preparation for and recovering from operations (e.g. in the case of the Army it takes account of those on pre-operational training and post-operational leave). 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of trained strength of regular forces deployed on operations and other military tasks( 1)  during 2004-05( 2,3) 
			  Percentage 
			   April to June  July to September  October to December  January to March 
			 Naval Service 16.8 13.2 13.3 11.6 
			 Army 23.7 22.1 21.4 21.2 
			 RAF 11.8 12.0 13.5 13.4 
			 (1) Includes activities such as nuclear deterrence, military aid to the Civil Authorities and to the Civil Powers in Northern Ireland, integrity of UK waters and airspace, defence and security of the overseas territories and of the Cyprus sovereign base areas and Defence relations, alliances and support to wider British interests.  (2 )These figures are quarterly averages and reflect the burden of activity imposed by the operations and military tasks undertaken by each service. Figures are based on man-day equivalents.  (3 )Percentages exclude those either preparing for, or recovering from, deployments. 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of trained strength of regular forces deployed on operations and other military tasks( 1)  during 2003-04( 2,3) 
			  Percentage 
			   April to June  July to September  October to December  January to March 
			 Naval Service 18.7 12.8 14.0 17.7 
			 Army 46.9 23.2 22.9 22.6 
			 RAF 16.5 13.0 12.9 12.1 
			 (1) Includes activities such as nuclear deterrence, military aid to the Civil Authorities and to the Civil Powers in Northern Ireland, integrity of UK waters and airspace, defence and security of the overseas territories and of the Cyprus sovereign base areas and Defence relations, alliances and support to wider British interests.  (2 )These figures are quarterly averages and reflect the burden of activity imposed by the operations and military tasks undertaken by each service. Figures are based on man-day equivalents.  (3 )Percentages exclude those either preparing for, or recovering from, deployments. 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of trained strength of regular forces deployed on operations and other military tasks( 1)  during 2002-03( 2,3) 
			  Percentage 
			   April to June  July to September  October to December  January to March 
			 Naval Service 17.5 13.0 16.5 28.5 
			 Army 24.6 23.9 32.5 55.6 
			 RAF 12.6 10.9 19.1 21.8 
			 (1) Includes activities such as nuclear deterrence, military aid to the Civil Authorities and to the Civil Powers in Northern Ireland, integrity of UK waters and airspace, defence and security of the overseas territories and of the Cyprus sovereign base areas and Defence relations, alliances and support to wider British interests.  (2 )These figures are quarterly averages and reflect the burden of activity imposed by the operations and military tasks undertaken by each service. Figures are based on man-day equivalents.  (3 )Percentages exclude those either preparing for, or recovering from, deployments. 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of trained strength of regular forces deployed on operations and other military tasks( 1)  during 2001-02( 2,3,4) 
			  Percentage 
			   April to June  July to September  October to December  January to March 
			 Naval Service 9.5 8.4 16.7 15.7 
			 Army 21.8 25.6 26.3 23.9 
			 RAF 11.9 12.2 13.6 13.1 
			 (1) Includes activities such as nuclear deterrence, military aid to the Civil Authorities and to the Civil Powers in Northern Ireland, integrity of UK waters and airspace, defence and security of the overseas territories and of the Cyprus sovereign base areas and Defence relations, alliances and support to wider British interests.  (2 )These figures are quarterly averages and reflect the burden of activity imposed by the operations and military tasks undertaken by each service. Figures are based on man-day equivalents. (3) 2001-02 figures include personnel on Exercise SAIF SAREEAII.  (4) Percentages exclude those either preparing for, or recovering from, deployments.

Afghanistan

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the minimum time is for notification to units designated for tours of Afghanistan that they are earmarked to serve in  (a) 16 Air Assault Brigade and  (b) other posts in theatre.

Des Browne: Units can generally expect to receive at least six months' warning, and individual augmentees 90 days warning, for operational tours, including Afghanistan. However, the size and shape offerees required in any operational theatre is kept under review, and adjusted as appropriate. There will therefore be occasions when units or individuals are required to deploy at much shorter notice.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with  (a) his counterparts in other NATO countries,  (b) the NATO Secretary-General and  (c) his counterparts in other non-NATO countries on force generation for deployment in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in the last three months; what the outcome of these discussions has been to date; whether they are ongoing; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 6 July 2006
	As a result of the NATO force generation process held in 2005 and 2006, Denmark and Estonia have already deployed forces to Helmand Province alongside the UK as part of the NATO-led international security assistance force (ISAF).
	I continue to have regular discussions with the NATO Secretary-General, NATO allies and with other ISAF troop contributing nations on force generation for ISAF, including, where appropriate, for Helmand Province. These discussions include bilateral meetings and the regular meetings of NATO Defence Ministers, the last of which took place on 8 June.

Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment was made of the  (a) strength and  (b) fighting capability of (i) Taliban and (ii) other illegal armed groups prior to the announcement of further troop deployment on 26th January 2006.

Des Browne: The Government's view then, as now, was that the Taliban and other illegally armed groups do not pose a long-term strategic threat to Afghanistan, though they do represent a significant impediment to the country's near-term reconstruction, particularly in the south. That is why we have deployed a substantial number of UK forces to enable the expansion of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force into that area.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral statement of 10 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1131-48, on Afghanistan (troop levels), how many combat personnel will be deployed as part of the additional deployment to Helmand Province; and when they will arrive.

Des Browne: The majority of the additional forces that I announced on 10 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1131-35W, are deploying to maintain momentum on reconstruction activity or to provide associated support to that task. Around 260 personnel will be dedicated to force protection or security tasks.

Annington Homes

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many homes have been sold by the Ministry of Defence to Annington Homes  (a) in England and  (b) at Colchester in the last five years.

Tom Watson: In 1996, the Ministry of Defence sold and leased back 57,428 houses in England and Wales to Annington Homes Limited (AHL). A provision of the 1996 Sale Agreement is that when MOD terminates the leasehold interest in properties it no longer requires, it also completes the freehold transfer of the properties to AHL. Since April 2001, just over 5,300 properties have been handed back to AHL in England and Wales, including 255 properties in Colchester.

Armed Forces (Fit for Task)

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force personnel were fit for task in every year since 2003.

Adam Ingram: The Fit for Task figure provides a quarterly measure of all trained personnel that are considered medically fit for the task they were posted to their Ship/Unit/Station to perform. It is the balance of the trained strength that is not medically downgraded. It is important to note, however, that the majority of medically downgraded personnel remain fit enough to work in some other capacity. For example, for the first quarter of year 2006-07 whereas 94.5 per cent. 83.7 per cent. and 90.2 per cent. of Royal Navy, Army and RAF personnel respectively were Fit for Task, only approximately 0.5 per cent. in each Service were considered unfit for any military duties. The remainder were not fully fit for task, but still fit to work in some other capacity.
	Figures up to and including 1 April 2005 were collated centrally by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) and give a snapshot of the situation on the first day of each quarter. Since April 2005, the figures have been obtained directly from the three single Services and give a snapshot of the situation at one point in time during each quarter. This will usually be a snapshot at the end of each quarter, but the exact reporting date can vary between each Service.
	The following tables show the percentage of trained Regular(1) personnel in each Service that were not medically downgraded in each quarter since January 2003.
	
		
			  Service ( 2) 1 January 2003  1 April 2003  1 July 2003  1 October 2003 
			 Royal Navy 92.3 92.3 92.0 91.9 
			 Army(2) 88.1 87.8 87.5 87.2 
			 RAF 91.9 91.5 90.8 90.9 
			  Source: DASA (Tri-Service) 
		
	
	
		
			  Service  1 January 2004  1 April 2004  1 July 2004  1 October 2004 
			 Royal Navy 91.6 91.2 90.8 91.2 
			 Army(2) 86.8 86.4 85.9 85.4 
			 RAF 91.2 91.1 91.2 91.0 
			  Source: DASA (Tri-Service) 
		
	
	
		
			  Service  1 January 2005  1 April 2005 
			 Royal Navy 91.1 91.1 
			 Army(2) 84.9 84.3 
			 RAF 90.9 90.8 
			  Source: DASA (Tri-Service) 
		
	
	
		
			  Service ( 3) Q1 2005-06  Q2 2005-06  Q3 2005-06  Q4 2005-06 
			 Royal Navy 92.8 93.7 92.9 94.8 
			 Army 85.1 84.7 84.4 84.2 
			 RAF 90.7 90.6 90.3 90.2 
			  Source: DMSD 
		
	
	
		
			  Service  Q1 2006-07 
			 Royal Navy 94.5 
			 Army 83.7 
			 RAF 90.2 
			 (1) Excludes Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised Reservists.(2) Army figures in the first three tables are for Army Soldiers only (not Officers).(3 ')Q1 2005-06' refers to a snapshot during the period from 1 April 2005 to 30 June 2005, and so on. Source: DMSD

Assets Disposal

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to Releasing the resources to meet the challenge ahead, Cm 6889, what assets he has identified for disposal.

Des Browne: The Value for Money work conducted by the Ministry of Defence as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review included an initial assessment of additional assets which could be disposed of in the Spending Review 2004 period (such as the sale of estate in Greater London and of surplus assets linked to redevelopment of Aldershot and Salisbury Plain barracks). It also included a broad assessment of the overall value of assets which may become available for disposal in the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. These preliminary assumptions will be refined as part of Comprehensive Spending Review implementation work.

British Troops (Afghanistan)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received on the cost to families of posting parcels to British troops based in Afghanistan; and if he will provide free postage for small parcels to troops in Afghanistan from their families.

Tom Watson: Recent representations received from hon. Members and members of the public regarding the cost of posting parcels to operational theatres this year are summarised in the following table:
	
		
			   Parliamentary questions  Ministerial correspondence  Treat official correspondence  Total 
			 January — 4 4 8 
			 February — 4 0 4 
			 March — 4 4 8 
			 April — 4 1 5 
			 May — 6 8 14 
			 June — 7 4 11 
		
	
	Free postage for small parcels to Service personnel was a temporary feature of the initial deployment of HM forces to Iraq in 2003 which ceased on 8 April 2004 when it was deemed that the complete Operational Welfare Package (which includes access to the Expeditionary Forces Institute (the deployable retail and leisure arm of the NAAFI)) was available.
	Deployment to Afghanistan was part of a long planned NATO deployment in which operational welfare provision was considered in detail. As a result, those deployed in Afghanistan are in receipt of welfare facilities comparable to other operational theatres worldwide; to provide a free parcel service to those in Afghanistan would not be equitable and would be divisive. Commanders in the theatre of operations do not regard a free postal packet scheme as a priority and would prefer to see available welfare money spent on facilities in theatre.
	As a result of a review in 2005 it was agreed that a free parcel scheme would be provided at Christmas for a short period of approximately four weeks to all overseas operational theatres. An announcement regarding dates for 2006 will be published in the autumn.

Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current actual strength is of each of the civil contingencies reaction forces.

Des Browne: Detailed figures for Civil Contingency Reaction Forces are not routinely collated. The current strength of the Territorial Army is 32,000, from which the Civil Contingency Reaction Forces are mainly drawn.

Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel from the Volunteer Reserves are committed to the Civil Contingencies Reaction Force in addition to their normal role.

Des Browne: All personnel who volunteer to participate in a Civil Contingency Reaction Force are also committed to undertake other Reserves tasks. Personnel who volunteer undertake an additional five days training annually.

Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many volunteer reserves who are committed to the Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces are deployed overseas.

Des Browne: In the event that individual volunteers are deployed on operations overseas they become unavailable for Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces duties and another volunteer is sought to fill the vacancy. In this way the operational capability of the Civil Contingency Reaction Force is not compromised.

Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many additional personnel have been recruited to the Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces; and what the target figure is in the next 12 months.

Des Browne: Reservists are not specifically recruited into a Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces. Individuals are recruited into the Reserves, and the Civil Contingency Reaction Forces is then manned from the Reserves. Each Force has a target strength of 500 personnel; there are no plans to change this.
	There are currently 14 Territorial Army Infantry battalions with Civil Contingency Reaction Force roles, providing a maximum of 7000 personnel. The number of Infantry battalions with such as role will reduce to 13 in April 2007, in line with the Future Army Structure.

Claims for Compensation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims for compensation for dismissal from the armed forces on grounds of sexuality were made  (a) before the European Court of Human Rights Ruling on 19 October 2002 and  (b) after 19 December 2003; of the claims in each category (i) how many resulted in a payment of compensation, (ii) what the (A) highest and (B) average payment was and (iii) how many remain outstanding; how many of the claims made after 19 December 2003 have been refused due to the date of application; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: holding answer 25 July 2006
	153 claims for compensation were made prior to 19 October 2002, with two claims submitted after 19 December 2003. Of those claims submitted prior to 19 October 2002, 38 have been settled, the highest award being £147,875, with an average award of £35,598.00. 62 of these claims remain outstanding. Both the claims received after 19 December 2003 have been refused on the grounds of their late application.

Combined Services Detained Interrogation Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2006,  Official Report, column 896W, on the Combined Services Detained Interrogation Centre, when he expects to be able to write to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South.

Adam Ingram: The work required to find information about the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre has taken time as we have wished to provide as complete an answer as possible from the surviving records. I have now written to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Command Papers

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the Unnumbered Command Papers produced by his Department in each Session since 1976; by what means  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to Explanatory Notes to Treaties, Explanatory Memorandum to Statutory Instruments and some Treasury Minutes. All other documents are published in the Numbered Command Papers series.
	A complete list of unnumbered Command Papers can only be produced at disproportionate cost.
	Copies of all unnumbered Command Papers are made available via the vote office.

Dartmoor National Park (Firing Ranges)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 13 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1232W, on Dartmoor National Park (firing ranges), when he will write to the hon. Member for Totnes.

Tom Watson: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Defence Establishments

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which defence establishments have been closed during the last three years; and how much financial assistance his Department provided in the surrounding area after the closure to support  (a) economic development,  (b) training,  (c) environmental improvements and  (d) other purposes in each case.

Tom Watson: holding answer 20 July 2006
	The Department has disposed of a large number of sites over the past three years. I will write to the right hon. Member with the answer and place a copy in the Library of the House.
	It is not the policy of the Ministry of Defence to provide financial assistance for areas affected by the closure of Defence establishments. Other Departments have responsibility for providing direct financial support for economic development regionally or to communities. However, the Department does work closely with the local authority and other stakeholders, amongst others English Partnerships, Regional Development Agencies, and in Scotland the Scottish Executive, the Enterprise bodies and the Welsh Assembly in Wales to consider the most appropriate future use when disposing of surplus sites.

Defence Information Infrastructure Project

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on his Department's budget of the additional monies which have been allocated to  (a) EDS and  (b) others for the Defence Information Infrastructure project; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: A range of changes to the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) programme have taken place since contract award for Increment 1 to the Atlas consortium in March 2005, as allowed for under the provisions of the contract. These changes are not expected to have any effect on the Defence budget.

Defence Medical Services

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has sufficient  (a) regular and  (b) reserve medical officers to support current operations; what shortages of defence medical service healthcare professionals there are, broken down by speciality; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the staffing levels against establishment are for service  (a) medical and  (b) dental officers.

Tom Watson: The following table shows the current staffing level against establishment and requirement for Service medical and dental officers:
	
		
			   Cadre 
			   Medical Officer  Dental Officer 
			 Establishment 810 290 
			 Current Manning 490 260 
			 SDR Requirement 970 270 
			 DMC Requirement 640 240 
			  Note: Figures above 100 have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: DMSD 
		
	
	The figures show establishment and manning levels as at 1 April 2006, and include some specialists working in headquarters posts not directly related to their specialism.
	The "Current Manning" figures show the tri-Service trained strengths in both cadres.
	"Establishment" is the listing of an individual unit's funded appointments/posts. It is different to the "Requirement", which are those posts necessary to support Defence Planning Assumptions.
	To date the Defence Medical Services (DMS) have met all operational requirements placed on them. Medical support to deployed operations is absolutely vital and there is no question of British forces deploying on military operations without the appropriate medical support.
	It is important to note that the overall DMS manning requirement covers a much broader spectrum than just medical support to operations, since it includes all the personnel involved in the delivery of medical services to the non-deployed armed forces as well.
	DMS manning requirement figures were initially drawn up as a consequence of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). These remain the official, formally endorsed figures. Since then, however, overall defence planning assumptions have changed and DMS manning requirement figures have evolved. In order to support the defence planning assumptions contained within Defence Strategic Guidance 03, the Defence Medical Capability (DMC) Phase 2 Study was carried out. The DMC study has produced interim revised DMS manning requirement figures which more accurately reflect defence planning assumptions and have thus overtaken the SDR figures. Elements of these interim manning requirements have previously been released, prior to a new definitive set of figures (as set out in my predecessor's answer to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper) on 9 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1402W.
	Work is ongoing to establish the overall requirement, with the overall requirement expected to decrease, although increases are expected within some individual specialties. I anticipate that new endorsed DMS manning requirement figures will be available later this year.
	It is acknowledged that currently there are manpower shortages across the DMS, especially in some key specialties. The following tables show the manning levels as at April 2006 in the key shortage specialties for Medical Officers and Nurses (requirement figures shown are the SDK figures and the DMC figures):
	
		
			   Requirement  
			  Medical Officer Specialty  SDR  DMC  Current manning 
			 General Medical Practice 460 270 260 
			 Anaesthetics 120 76 48 
			 General Surgery 41 36 18 
			 Emergency Medicine 29 23 13 
			 Psychiatry 26 31 13 
			  Notes:  Figures above 100 have been rounded to the nearest 10. Figures include some specialists working out of speciality in headquarter posts.   Source:  DMSD 
		
	
	
		
			   Requirement  
			  Nursing Specialty  SDR  DMC  Current manning 
			 Emergency Medicine 130 150 67 
			 Intensive Care 210 190 68 
			 Operating Theatre 81 72 51 
			 Registered Mental Health 110 150 97 
			  Notes: Figures above 100 have been rounded to the nearest 10. Figures include some specialists working out of specialty in headquarter posts.   Source: DMSD

Defence Medical Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1879W, on defence medical services, if he will make a statement on the Ministry of Defence hospital unit concept to which he refers.

Tom Watson: The process to close military hospitals began in 1994 because they no longer had sufficient patient volume and case mix to develop and maintain the skills of our medical personnel. To meet this training need we have established Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs) located within NHS hospitals at Derriford, Frimley Park, Peterborough, Portsmouth and Northallerton, and the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine within the University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust (UHBFT) in Birmingham.
	The integration throughout the NHS Trusts of Service personnel in those specialisms which are required on deployed operations enables Defence Medical Services staff to take advantage of NHS expertise and to maintain their own clinical skills in an active, up-to-date environment. Additionally, treating Service patients within the NHS Trusts which host MDHUs provides the most effective means of giving the UK Armed Forces benefit from the latest advances in medical treatment and the recent investments in NHS facilities.
	In the last two years, enhanced command and control structures have been introduced. Each MDHU now has a dedicated command team. This has improved administrative, business and training functionality and enables clinical staff to concentrate on honing their professional skills, both medical and military. Although Service staff work in a NHS environment, military ethos is maintained through regular collective events. Military uniform is worn by all command and serving administrative staff and also by clinical staff, except where duties require specific clinical dress. Clinical staff have their working time apportioned between "Trust Protected Time" and "Military Protected Time". The former guarantees sufficient clinical exposure to maintain standards, while the latter ensures that Service operational and training requirements are met.

Departmental Papers

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in date order  (a) Green and  (b) White Papers produced by his Department since October 2005.

Tom Watson: Since October 2005 the MOD has published one White Paper, the Defence Industrial Strategy.

Departmental Staff (Fraud)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff members in his Department have been  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted following fraud charges since 1997.

Tom Watson: Reported cases of suspected fraud, theft and irregularity are currently recorded centrally on a summary basis only and it cannot be assumed that criminal proceedings have or will be applied in every case. The provision of information on prosecutions and convictions for fraud involving MOD Crown Servants over the period specified could thus be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Detached Duty

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest number of days detached duty over the last 12 months was for each of the Royal Air Force pinch point trades identified in his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06.

Tom Watson: Separated service information for the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 is shown in the table(1).
	The table shows all types of detachment including operational deployments (formed and non formed units). South Atlantic deployments and pre-deployment training, routine tasks, formal staff visits, non operational unestablished commitments such as the Royal International Air Tattoo and routine career training not associated with a planned operational deployment. Separated service for the RAF is only reported for absence of three or more consecutive nights.
	
		
			   Average days  Highest days  Lowest days 
			 Junior Officer Pilots 55 215 3 
			 Weapons System Operators (Air load Masters) 60 215 3 
			 Weapons System Operators (Linguists) 95 190 3 
			 Operations Support (Fighter Controller) 50 205 3 
			 Operations Support (Provost Security) 50 260 3 
			 Medical Officers 65 260 3 
			 Princess Mary RAF Nursing Service 50 185 3 
		
	
	(1 )These figures are derived from information available as at 6 March 2006. The remainder of the data for the month of March is incomplete due to the introduction of the Joint Personnel Administration System on 1 April 2006.

Disability Access

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any building in his Department falls short of disability access regulations.

Tom Watson: Within the Ministry of Defence access requirements can vary between buildings, dependent on their use, occupancy and following a risk assessment. This Department acts within the disability regulations and Part M Building Regulations. Government Departments are subject to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 which requires them to make reasonable access arrangements for disabled people.
	Factors such as the practicability of making an adjustment to premises and the extent to which these overcome the difficulties faced by disabled people may be taken into account in determining what is reasonable.
	Commanding officers and heads of establishments are responsible for Defence establishments and carry out risk assessments in line with departmental guidance to ensure compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act and other relevant regulations.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid to his Department from the Access to Work Scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget he plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government departments; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: Although the Ministry of Defence makes full use of Access to Work in assessing the needs of its disabled staff for reasonable adjustments in the workplace, it does not collect the numbers of disabled staff receiving adaptations and equipment paid for by Access to Work nor do we keep a central record of the associated costs for such reasonable adjustments.
	The MOD currently funds all reasonable adjustments from a budget held centrally. This budget will be disaggregated to the MoD's business units with effect from April 2007. They will be responsible for funding all reasonable adjustments in the workplace in their areas.

Disarmament

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place  (a) in the Library and  (b) on his Department's website a copy of the presentation made by the Atomic Weapons Establishment to the 2005 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference on verification aspects of disarmament, referred to in paragraph 59 of his Department's annual report and accounts for 2005-06, HC1394.

Des Browne: The presentation to the 2005 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference related to the UK working paper on the Atomic Weapons Establishment's research into the verification aspects of nuclear disarmament. Following the Review Conference in May last year, it has been available on the FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk). I have now made it available on the MOD website (www.mod.uk) and will arrange for it to be placed in the Library of the House.

Ethiopia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether modifications made to airframes of Ethiopian MIG fighters undertaken by Hunting Engineering prior to the Eritrea-Ethiopian conflict of 1998 to 2000 required the approval of his Department; what discussions took place between  (a) his Department and  (b) the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency and (i) Hunting Engineering and (ii) the Ethiopian Government on this contract; and what the purpose of the modifications were;
	(2)  when he expects to answer Question 65534, on Ethiopian MIG fighters, tabled by the hon. Member for Stroud on 20 April.

Adam Ingram: Available records for the period before the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea indicate that an official of the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) was briefed in December 1996 on the requirement of the Ethiopian Air Force to upgrade their MiG21 aircraft. Records indicate that DESO made arrangements for Ethiopian officials to visit the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and Hunting Engineering (now Insys) in March 1997. Subsequently, DERA won contracts for project management advice on the upgrade programme. We have found no evidence of discussions involving the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Government. Nor have we found any record of actions by Hunting Engineering connected with the programme for which the approval of the Ministry of Defence was required.

Far East Civilian Internees

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made by the working group on the introduction of the 20-year residence criterion for the settlements for Second World War Far East civilian internees; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: I announced the agreement and implementation of the detailed rules for the new 20-year residence criterion for the ex-gratia payment scheme for former Far East Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees on 26 June 2006,  Official Report, column 9. A copy of the detailed rules has been placed in the Library of the House. The Veterans Agency is presently writing to applicants who they are aware may qualify and the Association of British Civilian Internees Far East Region have agreed to highlight the implementation of the new criterion through their newsletter. In view of the age of those who may be eligible, we are working to consider applications as quickly as possible, and I am pleased to say that the first payment was made on the day of the announcement.

Hospitals

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for facilities for afloat primary casualty receiving capabilities.

Tom Watson: holding answer 25 May 2006
	RFA ARGUS is designated as the Primary Casualty Reception Ship. We are considering options for the future provision of afloat medical capability.

ICT Training

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army recruits have undergone basic information and communications technology training in each year since 2001.

Tom Watson: On enlistment, Army recruits join a Phase 1 training establishment and undertake an intensive 14 week period of basic training. During this period of basic training, there is no formal IT training provided.
	Junior Entry (JE) recruits at the Army Foundation College (AFC) undertake a 42 week course and IT training forms part of their vocational education leading to the award of a Foundation Modern Apprenticeship. From financial year 2001-02 to 2005-06 5,080(1) JE soldiers completed their training at the AFC. This figure also includes those JE soldiers who passed through the Army Technical Foundation College Arborfield prior to its merger with the AFC in September 2004.
	At those Phase 2 training establishments where trainees are required to have a comprehensive understanding of IT, such as the Defence College of Communications and Information Systems, soldiers receive appropriate IT training for them to be able to operate the Army's increasingly complex weapons and communication systems.
	(1) Rounded to the nearest 10.

Injured British Servicemen (Treatment)

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops were aeromedically evacuated from Iraq by US forces for treatment at US facilities in Ramstein, Germany in each of the last 12 months.

Adam Ingram: In the last 12 months nine UK soldiers have been aeromedically evacuated from Baghdad to Ramstein by US forces.
	All of them were subsequently returned to the United Kingdom and are included in our current TELIC Aeromed reporting published on the Ministry of Defence website.

Iraq

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of British troops stationed in Iraq on threats to UK security.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence does not make assessments of the impact of UK military deployments on UK security. The Home Office is responsible for assessing threats to the UK. As the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have said before, the UK was a target for international terrorism before Iraq. Over the last 12 years there have been terrorist attacks in over 36 countries, not all of whom have been involved in—or even supported—military action in Iraq. There is no excuse or justification for terrorism and we cannot let our foreign policy be dictated by it. The establishment of a stable, democratic Iraq, enjoying the rule of law, will be our and Iraq's best defence against terrorism.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many attacks on multi-national forces were recorded in the Iraqi provinces of  (a) Al Basrah,  (b) Al Muthanna,  (c) Dhi Qar and  (d) Maysan in June 2006.

Des Browne: The following table sets out the number of attacks recorded against Multi-National
	Forces in each province of Multi-National Division (South East) in June 2006.
	
		
			  Province  Number of Attacks 
			 Al Muthanna 3 
			 Basrah 38 
			 Dhi Qar 2 
			 Maysan 18

Iraq

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of people injured or killed in Iraq in the last 12 months for  (a) wearing shorts,  (b) wearing jeans,  (c) wearing hair gels and similar products,  (d) not wearing a hijab,  (e) having a goatee beard,  (f) wearing a necklace and  (g) using a cell phone in public.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	In recent months there has been an increase in the level of violence against some ethnic, religious and social groups in Iraq to which the Government of Iraq, with the backing of the Multi-National Forces in Iraq, have responded by tightening their security regime. Clearly, we condemn the use of violence against any groups but we do not compile statistics of such attacks. Among other things we are working with the Ministry of Human Rights to develop its capacity so that it can promote the fundamental concepts of inclusiveness that will help overcome any social movement against particular minority groups.

Iraq

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the extent of Turkish military activity in Northern Iraq in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Turkey has maintained a limited number of troops in northern Iraq since the late 1990s. Coalition forces are aware of their presence. We are not aware of any of these troops being engaged in offensive operations in the last 12 months.

Iraq

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average waiting time is for the issue of Iraq medals from when the application is received at the medal office on behalf of personnel who have completed the 30 day qualifying period.

Tom Watson: The average waiting time for the issue of the Iraq Medal is two months.

Joint Personnel Administration

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average response time has been for Joint Personnel Administration pay claims since the system was implemented.

Tom Watson: The average time to pay claims into the banking system for short term allowances claimed through the joint personnel administration system i-expenses tool is some 14 working days, although performance has improved steadily such that the July average is below five working days. Some claims do take longer than average to resolve when authorisation by the claimant's superior officer is required.

Joint Personnel Administration

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what measures he has taken to address data errors transferred from legacy systems to the Joint Personnel Administration system;
	(2)  what steps have been taken to minimise input errors in the operation of the Joint Personnel Administration system.

Tom Watson: Much of the RAF data was transferred from legacy systems to JPA by a team of RAF clerks to ensure that data input was effectively controlled. Wherever possible, data is input by using Lists of Values contained in drop-down menus which reduces the opportunity to input data incorrectly. Free text boxes are used in only a handful of scenarios where drop-down menus are deemed to be inappropriate. Where errors have been identified in data transferred from legacy systems the individual is encouraged to amend the details either through the self service facility or though unit HR staff. Improved training packages for users are currently being developed.

Joint Personnel Administration

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average response time has been to complaints made through the I-Query service for the Joint Personnel Administration system since the system was implemented.

Tom Watson: Currently 71 per cent. of Joint Personnel administrative telephone inquiries, (currently about 5,000 per week) are dealt with at first call. Up until 21 July 2006, the average response time to inquiries made via the web based i-Support tool or by telephone, which could not be dealt with immediately, was 11.5 days. This compares with the customer charter target of 10 working days. The software tool which tracks queries does not distinguish between verbal and i-Support queries.

Joint Personnel Administration

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he expects the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency to meet the key targets for delivery of joint personnel administration.

Tom Watson: The key target to roll-out Joint Personnel Administration to the Royal Air Force by the end of March 2006 has already been met. I expect the key target for financial year 2005-06 to roll-out to the Royal Navy and the Army by October 2006 and March 2007 respectively to be achieved.
	The key target for the Enquiry Centre during financial year 2005-06 is for 75 per cent. of queries to be answered at the first call. While the initial volume of calls and early telephony problems have contributed to a current response rate of 71 per cent. for Joint Personnel Administrative queries, I expect that the target will be met by the end of the financial year.

Joint Personnel Administration

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on joint personnel administration; and what the overall costs of the programme are expected to be.

Tom Watson: As at 30 June 2006, £124.6 million had been spent on Joint Personnel Administration. Based upon current forecasts, the overall cost of the programme is expected to be some £163.2 million. (The impact of adjustments to the programme to ensure alignment with the availability of Defence Information Infrastructure is currently being assessed, but is likely to increase the forecast).

Joint Personnel Administration

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF personnel have been  (a) overpaid and  (b) underpaid under the joint personnel administration system since March 2006.

Tom Watson: The number of RAF personnel who have experienced over and underpayments under the Joint Personnel Administration system are set out as follows:
	
		
			  Month  Overpayments  Underpayments 
			 April 2006 4,647 1,992 
			 May 2006 400 775 
			 June 2006 227 258 
			 July 2006 94 75

Joint Personnel Administration

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time staff are employed on the joint personnel administration helpdesk.

Tom Watson: Eighty four full-time equivalent staff (eighty two full-time and four part time) are employed within the Enquiry Centre to cover the peak periods of enquiries from Royal Air Force Personnel. Plans are well advanced to augment this number for the roll out of Joint Personnel Administration to the Royal Navy.

Kosovo

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many designated dangerous areas the Kosovo Protection Corps cleared in each year since 2003; how many of the areas contained  (a) cluster munitions and  (b) BL-755 cluster munitions; how many designated dangerous areas remain to be cleared; and how many known locations of ordnance contamination remain to be cleared in Kosovo which are not within designated dangerous areas.

Des Browne: holding answer 24 July 2006
	The UK does not hold this information directly. Munitions clearance activity in Kosovo is monitored by the United Nations through their administrative mission in Kosovo as well as the UN Mine Action Service.

Lebanon

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the British evacuation force in Lebanon will offer assistance to other countries that wish to evacuate their citizens.

Des Browne: The UK has already offered assistance to other countries that wished to evacuate their citizens from Lebanon; the UK has assisted with the evacuation of some 4, 500 people, from over 50 different nations.

Mambas

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether he has carried out an evaluation of the use of Mambas formerly owned by his Department operated by Blackwater Security Consulting in Baghdad for personnel protection; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether any  (a) Foreign Office and  (b) other UK officials have been transported in Mambas operated by Blackwater Security Consulting in Iraq; and whether this form of transport has been assessed as offering sufficient protection when travelling in areas where there is a risk of exposure to insurgent attack;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has carried out of the vulnerability of Mambas operated by Blackwater Security Consulting in Baghdad to attack by improvised explosive device; and whether any lessons learned will be applied to enhancing force protection for British troops in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: To my knowledge, no Foreign Office or other UK Government personnel have been transported in Mambas operated by Blackwater Consulting in Baghdad, though records may not cover such detail and the possibility cannot be excluded.
	We have not carried out a specific evaluation of the use of Mambas by Blackwater Security Consulting in Baghdad for personnel protection, nor have we carried out a specific assessment of their vulnerability to Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack.
	We do, though, make regular assessments of the threats facing UK forces (including that from IEDs) and of the potential vehicles available from manufacturers around the world that might help us defeat those threats. We use these assessments to keep our force protection measures, including tactics, techniques and procedures and equipment, under constant review.
	On 26 June my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence informed the House that the Ministry of Defence was urgently reviewing the options for protected patrol vehicles, with a view to identifying what else could be done as quickly as possible and in the longer term. The RG-31, a more modern vehicle derived from the Mamba family, was considered, alongside a number of alternatives. On 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 75WS, he announced the results of the review.
	We do not comment on the relative protection of our vehicles, or those used by our Allies, as to do so would prejudice the safety of our and our allies' personnel. The additional vehicles announced by the Secretary of State on 24 July will provide more options for Commanders to use as they see fit to best meet the mission and counter the threat.

Military Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to  (a) procure more helicopters for and  (b) employ more pilots in the Army.

Adam Ingram: The Future Rotorcraft Capability programme is considering how best to structure our helicopter fleets for the future. As part of this, we announced in January a capability sustainment programme for the upgrading of the Royal Navy's Merlin helicopters. We also announced in June an order for 70 new Future Lynx helicopters for use by the Royal Navy and Army.
	There is currently no plan to increase the number of pilots in the Army.

Military Vehicles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effectiveness of the Snatch Land Rover in protecting troops in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has  (a) to upgrade and  (b) to replace Snatch Land Rovers operated by the Army in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the cost of replacing the Snatch Land Rover used by the British Army with the RG-31;
	(2)  what plans he has to replace the Snatch Land Rover with another form of transport for the British Army.

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will purchase a quantity of BAE Land Systems RG-31s for deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan to provide enhanced protection for Army patrols pending a longer-term review of more suitable vehicles.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Members to the Statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence made on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 74-76WS. As he announced, the review recommended we buy around 100 Forces Protection Inc. Cougar, in addition to increasing the number of VECTOR vehicles being procured, and uparmouring and upgrading further FV430 vehicles. The Cougar is the vehicle best able to meet our requirement. It will provide an additional option for Commanders to use as they see fit to best meet the mission and counter the threat. It will not replace the SNATCH land rover which will remain the most appropriate vehicle for some tasks.

Military Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what evaluation his Department has carried out of the  (a) ADI Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicle and  (b) BAE systems Iraqi Light Armoured Vehicle in respect of the protection afforded from improvised explosive devices and other explosive devices; and how these vehicles compare with the Armoured Pinzgauer on order for British troops in Afghanistan;
	(2)  whether his Department has evaluated the potential role of the Force Protection Inc. Buffalo Mine Clearance Vehicle in operations in Southern Iraq; and what assessment he has made of the possible role these vehicles have in developing pro-active measures to reduce the improvised explosive devices threat to British Army patrols in the region;
	(3)  what level of protection is afforded from mines and other explosive devices by the BAE Systems/OMC RG-31 when exploded  (a) under any wheel and  (b) under the cabin; and how this compares with the protection afforded by the Iveco Panther FCLV;
	(4)  what evaluations have been carried out by his Department of the BAE Systems Scarab Armoured Patrol Vehicle; and what level of protection is afforded by this vehicle from mines and other explosive devices when exploded  (a) under any wheel and  (b) under the cabin;
	(5)  whether his Department has carried out an evaluation of the protection offered by the US Navy Ultra concept vehicle project from the threat of  (a) improvised explosive devices and  (b) rocket propelled grenade 7s.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary gave on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 75WS. Among other vehicles, the review considered the BAES OMC RG-31, the ADI Bushmaster, the US Ultra Armoured Patrol concept vehicle and the Force Protection Inc Buffalo. As the Defence Secretary announced, the review recommended that we buy around 100 Force Protection Inc Cougar as the vehicle best able to meet our requirements.
	In light of the review, it was also announced that we will be increasing the number of VECTOR vehicles being procured (a Pinzgauer based Protected Patrol Vehicle) to supplement SNATCH. We will be up-armouring and upgrading a further 70 FV430 vehicles beyond those already on order. To safeguard our and our allies' troops we do not comment on the detail of our vehicles' protection levels. However, the need to provide enhanced protection against the key threats currently faced in Iraq and Afghanistan was a key factor in our decisions.
	The BAES Scarab Armoured Patrol Vehicle was evaluated during the competition for the PANTHER Command and Liaison vehicle but was unsuccessful in that competition.

Nuclear Deterrents

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the memorandum on the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent provided by his Department to the Defence Committee in November 2005, whether his Department's  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials are in a position to agree to the Defence Committee's request for them to give evidence to their inquiry on The Future of the UK's Strategic Nuclear Deterrent: The Strategic Context.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence has done all it can support the work of the Defence Committee on the future of the Strategic Nuclear Deterrent. We produced an initial memorandum, which was published on 20 January 2006. My predecessor also discussed this issue with the Defence Committee in some detail on 1 November 2005, as did I during my oral evidence session on 11 July this year. We have provided a detailed and substantive response to the Committee's first report, which was published on 26 July this year, and also made arrangements for the Committee to visit key nuclear establishments over the summer recess. We will continue to do all that we can to support future inquiries by the Committee in this area.

Nuclear Deterrents

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requests he has received to give evidence to the Defence Select Committee on Trident replacement; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: We have received three requests from the House of Commons Defence Committee for information and evidence on the future of the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent. In response, we produced an initial memorandum, which was published on 20 January 2006. My predecessor also discussed this issue with the Defence Committee hi some detail on 1 November 2005, as did I during my introductory session on 11 July this year. We have provided a detailed and substantive response to the Committee's first report, which was published on 26 July this year, and will continue to do all that we can to support future inquiries by the Committee in this area.
	No decisions on any replacement for Trident have yet been taken, either in principle or in detail, but these will be taken later this year.

Ordnance Expenditure

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on ordnance in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 May 2006
	The total spend in financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06 by the Defence Logistics Organisation on General Munitions was £228 million and £199 million respectively.

Phone Cards

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will  (a) increase the value and  (b) extend the time of phone cards issued to armed forces personnel stationed overseas.

Adam Ingram: As part of the operational welfare package, personnel serving on operations overseas are allowed 20 minutes of free telephone calls each week to anyone anywhere in the world. The financial allowance for people serving in non- operational locations overseas includes an element that is intended to cover the difference between the cost of 20 minutes of telephone calls in their location and the cost in UK.
	Publicly funded telephone calls are only one component of both the operational welfare package and the calculation of local overseas allowance. While accepting that more time would be welcome, there is a balance to be struck against expenditure on other elements of support. The complete operational welfare package has recently been reviewed and the operational commanders do not see a need to re-balance it.

Piracy

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many seaborne attacks by armed gangs there were  (a) in the Persian Gulf,  (b) in the vicinity of Umm Qast and  (c) near the Basra Oil Terminal in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006.

Adam Ingram: I am unable to answer the question in the format requested. However, coalition statistics on the number of maritime criminal incidents that occurred in the North Arabian Gulf in 2005 and 2006 are set out in the following table. Information relating to the number of incidents in 2004 is not held.
	
		
			   Year 
			  Month  2005  2006 
			 January 1 5 
			 February 0 5 
			 March 2 10 
			 April 0 12 
			 May 3 11 
			 June 3 7 
			 July 10 4 
			 August 10 — 
			 September 10 — 
			 October 5 — 
			 November 9 — 
			 December 15 —

Procurement

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether defence integrity pacts are applied to all defence procurements.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has encountered a relatively low number of cases of corruption in relation to the volume and value of its contractual activity. The MOD does not use defence integrity pacts as an anti-corruption device because it considers that its existing, well established processes have served it well (see the 'Guideline for Industry—Code of Procurement Ethics' and the Defence Condition 520—'Corrupt Gifts and Payments of Commission', both available through the Commercial Toolkit at www.ams.mod.uk).

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many public appointments are within his patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence sponsors 32 public bodies: six executive non-departmental public bodies; 24 Advisory non-departmental public bodies; one Public Corporation and one Independent Monitoring Board. In total, these Bodies comprise 424 public appointments. These 32 public bodies include the Defence Nuclear Safety Committee which was formed in 1999 and the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions, plus 13 War Pension Committees, which moved over to the Ministry of Defence from what is now the Department for Work and Pensions in 2001.
	Details of the public appointments to the public bodies sponsored by the Ministry of Defence can be found in 'Public Bodies', copies of which are in the Library of the House. 'Public Bodies' has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of 'Public Bodies' contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. Comparable information for 1976 in respect of Ministry of Defence could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Between 1980 and 2001 'Public Bodies' published remuneration figures for both Chairs and Members of Public Bodies. This practice ceased in 2002 when the remuneration figures for Members were not included in the publication. The most recent details of remuneration for Chairs (as at 31 March 2005) is published in 'Public Bodies'. Details are set out below in respect of the eight Ministry of Defence Public Bodies who remunerate its members; the remaining 24 do not.
	 Advisory Group on Medical Countermeasures
	Member: £210 per meeting
	 Animal Welfare Advisory Committee
	Member: £200 per day
	 Armed Forces Pay Review Body
	Member: £300 per meeting/visit
	 Defence Nuclear Safety Committee
	Member: £210 per day
	 Defence Scientific Advisory Council
	Deputy Chair: £265 per day
	Member: £210 per day
	 Nuclear Research Advisory Council
	Member: £210 per day
	 Review Board for Government Contracts
	Member: £7,370 per annum
	 Oil and Pipelines Agency
	Member: £7,500 per annum
	No public appointments to Bodies sponsored by the Ministry of Defence attract emoluments beyond the remuneration referred to above.

QinetiQ

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations and warranties his Department has given to the QinetiQ Joint Bookrunners in the Underwriting Agreement; and if he will place a copy of the agreement in the Library.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence gave certain limited warranties and representations to the Joint Bookrunners in the Underwriting Agreement. These were normal for a transaction such as the QinetiQ IPO. Broadly, they related to:
	(i) the MOD's ownership of the shares;
	(ii) the MOD's ability, as a matter of law, to sell the shares and to perform its other legal obligations in relation to the process;
	(iii) the accuracy of certain prospectus statements relating to the policies, plans, views or expectations of the MOD, or to the terms of specific arrangements between the MOD and QinetiQ.
	The Underwriting Agreement is a commercially confidential agreement and I am therefore unable to place a copy in the Library. However, a detailed summary of its key terms appears on pages 300-303 of the QinetiQ prospectus, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on 26 January.

Regma Biotechnologies

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis and on whose authority Regma Biotechnologies was allowed  (a) access to facilities and  (b) to set up a laboratory at Porton Down; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 July 2006
	Regma Biotechnologies was founded in December 1999 and commenced a three-year tenancy on the Porton Down Science Park on 17 July 2000.
	The Porton Down Science Park was founded in October 1997 as a result of the Defence Diversification White Paper of November 1998. The aim was to work in partnership with other local research and development organisations to promote Porton Down, and to act as an incubator unit for small start-up biotechnology companies by allowing them access to the support infrastructure. The tenancy agreement with Regma was the same as for any other small start-up biotechnology company.

Security Passes

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many security passes have been reported  (a) lost and  (b) stolen by staff in his Department by year since February 2004.

Tom Watson: In the Ministry of Defence, all service personnel are issued with a service identity card, which is also used as a security pass to confirm identity for site access purposes. The following number of service identity cards have been reported as either lost or stolen since February 2004:
	
		
			   Total 
			 February to December 2004 10,266 
			 January to December 2005 7,849 
			 January to June 2006 4,616 
		
	
	It is not possible, without disproportionate effort, to separate the figures into sub-totals for those lost and stolen, due to the way the data is collated by the Agency responsible for identity card production. Identity cards carry a photograph of the holder and have other features that inhibit their fraudulent replication.
	MOD civilians are not routinely issued with identity cards, but provided with a site-specific security pass. Like the service identity card, the security pass carries a photograph and other features to inhibit fraudulent replication; unlike the service identity card the security pass is not readily identifiable as associated with the MOD. While the loss or theft of civilian security passes is reported at unit/establishment level, statistics are not collated centrally and therefore details of totals lost or stolen could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Service Personnel

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many service personnel serving in Iraq have been diagnosed with a mental health condition since British forces were committed to the country;
	(2)  how many service personnel who have served in Iraq have been invalided out of the forces on grounds of mental illness;
	(3)  how many service personnel are receiving treatment for mental illness in  (a) independent,  (b) NHS and  (c) Ministry of Defence medical establishments.

Tom Watson: It can be difficult to determine the underlying causes of some mental health problems, some of which could be caused by a combination of other life events that occurred before or after service in any operational theatre.
	A total of 1,541 personnel were referred to the Ministry of Defence's Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) with possible mental health problems and subsequently identified as having a psychiatric disorder related to their service in Iraq in the years 2003 to 2005.
	The following table shows the total number of personnel admitted for any cause under the agreement MOD has with the Priory Group for mental health in-patient care. The numbers are not specific to deployment on Operation TELIC in the Iraq region:
	
		
			  Date from  Date to  Number admitted 
			 1 December 2003 31 March 2004 58 
			 1 April 2004 31 March 2005 321 
			 1 April 2005 31 March 2006 351 
			 1 April 2006 30 June 2006 71 
			 Total  801 
		
	
	In 2003 and 2004, the following number of personnel were discharged from each Service due to mental and behavioural disorders:
	
		
			  Service  Total discharged( 1)  No. of those who had previously been deployed on Operation TELIC( 2) 
			 Navy 62 5 
			 Army 202 18 
			 RAF 88 4 
			 (1 )These figures update those provided in a previous answer dated21 July 2005,  Official Report, column 2117W.  (2) This does not imply that discharge was directly or solely attributable to Operation TELIC. 
		
	
	The number of current and former Service personnel treated by the NHS for mental health conditions since the beginning of the operation in Iraq is not known. Similarly, details of personnel who have been discharged as a result of a mental health condition that can be attributed specifically to service in Iraq and whose continued medical care has therefore been transferred to the NHS is not held centrally and to obtain it would require the examination of the individual medical records of every patient. These can only be viewed for non-clinical reasons with the express consent of the individual concerned, to protect patient confidentiality. To seek permission, and then to extract the information from the records, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Service Records

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications for release of service records from the Second World War his Department has received since 1997; and how many such applications have been successful.

Tom Watson: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Service Records

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to ensure consistency in decision-making when considering whether to release service records following an application under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Tom Watson: The Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force personnel staffs who answer such requests work to the same guidance and criteria in discharging MOD's duty to process personal data fairly and in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Key issues include whether the subject of the record is alive; whether the next of kin are making or are aware of the request; and the precise nature of the information held and requested. This inevitably involves case by case consideration of often complex circumstances. A number of reports of apparently inconsistent outcomes have led officials to launch a review with the aim of providing more detailed guidance on the release of information from service records. I will write to the hon. Member when that work is complete, which I expect to be before the end of the year.

Submarine Sales (Canada)

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the UK Government have paid any reparation to the Canadian Government in relation to the four upholder class submarines that were found to be damaged upon delivery to the Canadian Forces Maritime Command.

Tom Watson: No. The four upholder class submarines were not damaged when they were handed over to, and accepted by, Canada.

Sudan

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the merits of UK troops making up part of the proposed UN force in Sudan.

Des Browne: Her Majesty's Government welcomed the signing on 5 May 2006 of the Darfur Peace Agreement by the Government of Sudan and the Minni Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army. We are urging all partners to support fully the implementation of the agreement, and the strengthening of the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to meet the tasks contained within it.
	To date, the UK has committed £52 million in financial support to AMIS. Additionally, through the European Union and at the request of the African Union, the MOD has provided two military advisers. Separately, the UK has provided three staff officers, including the Chief of Staff, to the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), mandated to support the implementation of the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
	If approved, UNMIS could be expanded to assume peace keeping responsibilities in Darfur, taking over from AMIS. In preparation, and at the request of the UN, the MOD has deployed one military officer to the Department of Peace Keeping Operations in New York to assist with planning support.
	We have no plans to deploy any further military personnel to Sudan.

Surplus Military Equipment

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the rules relating to the disposal of military equipment to non-government purchasers.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence disposes of a wide range of surplus military equipment and extensive rules and regulations govern the disposal of specific items. There is no single set of general rules relating to the disposal of equipment to non-government purchasers.
	It is, however, departmental policy that the contract of sale for any item will include terms and conditions covering re-use and eventual disposal as appropriate. All sensitive equipment is routinely demilitarised before sale, and any equipment that cannot be sold is disposed of or recycled in an environmentally sound manner. In addition, there are many types of military equipment that are not sold to the public as a matter of policy.

University Air Squadrons

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that there is no reduction in the number of university air squadrons and the level of flying training they provide.

Tom Watson: There is no intention to reduce the number of University Air Squadrons. The hon. Member will be aware that a study has recently been commissioned to determine the optimum number and preferred locations of University Air Squadrons' Air Experience Flights, which deliver their flying training.

Veterans

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written answer of 19 July 2006,  Official Report, column 506W, on veterans, what percentage of service leavers used the Career Transition Partnership upon leaving each of the armed services in the last period for which figures are available.

Tom Watson: The percentage of service leavers using the Career Transition Partnership varies from year to year, but for those discharged during the last year 2005-06, the take-up was 94.1 per cent. The equivalent figures for the previous four years are: 74.8 per cent in. 2001-02; 86.5 per cent. in 2002-03; 79.6 per cent. in 2003-04 and 84.6 per cent. in 2004-05. Percentages by individual service are not available, since statistics have been collected on a tri-service basis that reflects the philosophy of delivering a common high quality resettlement provision to members of all three armed services.

Veterans

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written answer of 19 July 2006,  Official Report, column 506W, on veterans, what the employment rates were for veterans  (a) one month,  (b) six months and  (c) one year after leaving each of the services, broken down by age cohort in the last period for which figures are available.

Tom Watson: Not all personnel who leave the armed forces want to continue to work. Of those service leavers who discharged in 2005 after using the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to prepare themselves for future employment and who have provided feedback on their post-discharge working status, nearly 57 per cent. had found employment on or before their final day of military service, and a further 13 per cent. within one month of discharge. Since CTP contract performance-related recording began in April 2000, about 95 per cent. of service leavers who accessed CTP support and wanted to work after departure from the armed forces were employed within six months of their discharge.
	In keeping with the philosophy of providing a high quality resettlement service to all entitled military personnel who will be entering a common civilian job market, post-discharge employment success statistics are not maintained on leavers by service or age cohort. Also, no statistics are held on the civilian employment status of veterans beyond the six-months post-discharge point.

Departmental-issued Credit Cards

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Cabinet Office issues guidance to departments on civil servants making personal use of departmental-issued credit cards; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: No. Individual departments issue guidance to their staff on the use of their corporate credit cards.
	The Cabinet Office's guidance to its own staff makes clear that the Cabinet Office's corporate credit cards cannot be used for private purposes. The guidance also makes clear that misuse is a disciplinary offence.

Deputy Prime Minister

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants in the Cabinet Office provide support to the Deputy Prime Minister.

Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Secretariat, which is part of the Cabinet Office, provides support to the Deputy Prime Minister, as it does to chairs of all Cabinet Committees The Cabinet Office Communication Group has developed the Deputy Prime Minister's website through its own web content management system at no external cost. It has also provided occasional support to the Deputy Prime Minister's press office to cover leave arrangements.
	The Cabinet Office Parliamentary Branch supports the Deputy Prime Minister's office in the handling of its Parliamentary Business.
	In addition the Department's Infrastructure Division provides some support services for the Deputy Prime Minister and his Office since they are still based in a building which is managed by the Cabinet Office.

Disabled Staff

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of Senior Civil Service staff are registered as disabled.

Hilary Armstrong: 2.8 per cent. of Senior Civil Servants have declared that they are disabled (as at October 2005). Disability monitoring is conducted on a voluntary basis. We are working to improve representation of disabled people at senior levels and are committed to achieving our target of 3.2 per cent. disabled staff in the Senior Civil Service by 2008. The target is underpinned by a diversity 10-Point Plan: Delivering a Diverse Civil Service.

Outsourcing

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what her policy is on the Civil Service outsourcing administrative functions overseas.

Patrick McFadden: There is no central policy to outsource administrative functions overseas. It is up to individual departments and agencies to decide what best meets their business needs.

Councillors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average councillor to elector ratio was in the  (a) richest and  (b) poorest council wards in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England and (iv) Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	Local government councillor; elector ratios are a matter for the Electoral Commission in England, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland.
	We are not able to provide information in the form of the richest and poorest wards. However the Indices of Deprivation published by each country provide details of the most deprived areas for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. They are based on a geography generally small than wards (Super Output areas or Data Zones in Scotland) and measure deprivation not affluence. For England, using 2004 Indices, the most deprived area is in Breckfield ward, Liverpool and the least deprived In Oakley and North Waltham ward, Basingstoke and Deane.

Custody Plus

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs by which date the Government plans fully to implement proposals for Custody Plus.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	In the Review of the Criminal Justice System published on 20 July we said that Custody Plus will not go ahead in autumn 2006 as previously planned. We shall not implement Custody Plus until we are satisfied that sufficient resources are available to allow this to proceed.

Departmental Staff

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many of her Department's employees have been  (a) dismissed,  (b) suspended and  (c) subject to disciplinary action for criminal activity in each year since 1997.

Bridget Prentice: Figures are only available to show those who were dismissed following disciplinary proceedings for gross misconduct resulting from involvement in criminal activity, since June 2003, as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 1 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 2 
		
	
	Figures are not available to show the numbers of employees who were suspended, although suspension would usually follow a charge of gross misconduct and has been mandatory in this type of case since April 2005.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was paid to her Department from the Access to Work Scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget she plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government Departments; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The DCA has a team of dedicated local disability advisers, based in the regions, who assist in ensuring that the required reasonable adjustments, including specialist equipment and support, for people with disabilities are provided.
	It is not possible to confirm the precise contributions made to the Department under the Access To Work Scheme over the last year without incurring disproportionate costs, as there is no central record held within DCA.
	With effect from 1 October 2006, with the withdrawal of funding by Access to Work to employees of Central Government Departments, the DCA intends to continue its responsibility for financing and supporting any required reasonable adjustments for its own employees from the relevant budgets of DCA's internal service providers.
	The Office of Disability Issues (ODI) will be monitoring the situation to ensure that there is no detriment to current and future employees who are disabled.

Local Government

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the recommended ratio of councillor to electors is in  (a) Wales,  (b) Scotland,  (c) England and  (d) Northern Ireland.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 24 July 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	Local government councillor; elector ratios are a matter for the Electoral Commission in England, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland.

Local Government

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which 100 wards had the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest elector to councillor ratio in (i) Wales, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 24 July 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	Local government councillor; elector ratios are a matter for the Electoral Commission in England, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland.

Magistrates

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of magistrates recruited in each year since 1997 were  (a) women,  (b) black or from another ethnic minority,  (c) registered disabled and  (d) under 30 in each Courts Service region in (i) Wales and (ii) England.

Harriet Harman: The tables provide a breakdown. Figures are provided subject to:
	Information on disability is not available. This has been collected systematically for approximately 18 months for new applicants only, and is therefore incomplete.
	We collect information on magistrates age in the bands under 40, 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and 60 to 69. Figures for those that were under 40 are not available for the years up to 2004.
	The figures are not broken down by area because figures less than five are not quoted following established Government statistics guidelines for protecting the confidentiality of data subjects.
	
		
			BME  Female 
			   Total number of appointees  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 1997(1) 1,682 110 6.53 852 50.65 
			 1998(1) 1,573 95 6.03 809 51.43 
			 1999(1) 1,609 105 6.52 793 49.28 
			 2000(1) 1,743 133 7.63 859 49.28 
			 2001(2) 1,618 137 8.46 784 48.45 
			 2002(2) 1,786 148 8.29 859 48.1 
			 2003(2) 1,623 132 8.1 785 48.4 
			 (1) Figures as at 1 January each year.(2) Figures as at 31 March each year. 
		
	
	
		
			BME  Female  Age under 40 
			   Total number of appointees  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2004(1) 1,768 155 8.34 829 46.9 273 15.4 
			 2005(1) 1,766 143 8.1 857 48.5 277 15.69 
			 2006(1) 2,212 225 10.18 1080 48.83 336 15.19 
			 (1) Figures as at 31 March each year.

"From Improvement to Transformation"

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to ensure that the new non-executive directors identified under proposals in the document "From Improvement to Transformation" include representatives from Wales.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 24 July 2006
	We are seeking Non-executive directors who will add value to the Department by offering external advice and expertise in association with independence of thought to inform the decision-making process. To ensure openness, transparency and selection on merit, our non-executive director vacancies are being filled through open competition and we have welcomed applications from any candidate with the right mix of skills and experience, which includes an understanding of the sectors in which the Home Office operates.

Abduction Prosecutions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for abduction in London in 2004 in each London borough, broken down by  (a) sex,  (b) age and  (c) nationality.

Tony McNulty: Information on the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty in courts in London for offences of abduction in 2004 are provided in the following table, broken down as requested. Data on the nationality of people convicted of an offence is not held centrally. This is because there is currently no legal obligation on people who are suspected, charged or convicted to declare their nationality and no sanction against them if they refuse to co-operate or they declare a nationality falsely. In a written ministerial statement of 19 July 2006,  Official Report, column 29WS my hon. Friend the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality (Mr. Byrne) set out the progress the Department is making to address this problem.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against in magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts in London for abduction offences( 1)  by age, sex and London court area, 2004( 2,3,4) 
			   Male 
			   10 to 17  18 to 20  21 and over 
			  London court area  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Inner London courts   
			 Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge — — 1 — — — 
			 Highbury Corner — — — — 1 — 
			 Horseferry Road — — — — — 1 
			 South Western — — — — 1 1 
			
			  Other London courts   
			 Brent — — — — 1 — 
			 Bromley — — — — 1 — 
			 Croydon — — 1 1 1 1 
			 Ealing — — 1 1 1 — 
			 Enfield — — — — 1 — 
			 Havering — — — — — 1 
			 Hounslow — — — — 2 — 
			 Waltham Forest — — — — 2 1 
			 Total greater London — — 3 2 11 5 
		
	
	
		
			   Female 
			   10 to 17  18 to 20  21 and over 
			  London court area  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Inner London courts   
			 Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge — — — — 2 1 
			 Highbury Corner — — — — 1 — 
			 Horseferry Road — — — — — — 
			 South Western — — 1 1 1 1 
			  Other London courts   
			 Brent — — — — — — 
			 Bromley — — — — — — 
			 Croydon — — — — — — 
			 Ealing — — — — — — 
			 Enfield — — — — — — 
			 Havering — — — — — — 
			 Hounslow — — — — — — 
			 Waltham Forest — — — — 1 — 
			 Total greater London — — 1 1 5 2 
		
	
	
		
			   Person 
			   10 to 17  18 to 20  21 and over 
			  London court area  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Inner London courts   
			 Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge — -- 1 — 2 1 
			 Highbury Corner — — — — 2 — 
			 Horseferry Road — — — — — 1 
			 South Western — — 1 1 2 2 
			
			  Other London courts   
			 Brent — — — — 1 — 
			 Bromley — — — — 1 — 
			 Croydon — — 1 1 1 1 
			 Ealing — — 1 1 1 — 
			 Enfield — — — — 1 — 
			 Havering — — — — — 1 
			 Hounslow — — — — 2 — 
			 Waltham Forest — — — — 3 1 
			 Total greater London — — 4 3 16 7 
			 (1) Includes offences related to 'abduction of children' and general abduction offences.  (2) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (4) There were no reported cases of abduction in city of London courts.

Air Miles

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many free air miles have been earned by senior civil servants in his Department in each of the last three years; and how they were used.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Senior civil servants travel is conducted in accordance with the Home Office guidance which makes clear that Air Miles should be used only for official purposes or else foregone. However, if it is impracticable to use the benefits for Government travel, there is no objection to senior civil servants donating them to charity if this is permissible under the terms of the airline's scheme and the charity is one chosen by the airline.

Antisocial Behaviour

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times  (a) antisocial behaviour orders,  (b) acceptable behaviour contracts,  (c) warnings,  (d) individual support plans,  (e) action plan orders,  (f) child safety orders,  (g) referral orders,  (h) parenting orders,  (i) parenting contracts,  (j) local child curfew schemes,  (k) dispersal powers,  (l) fixed penalty notices for disorderly behaviour,  (m) detention and training orders,  (n) seizure of vehicles used antisocially,  (o) closure of licensed premises,  (p) confiscation of alcohol from young people and  (q) designated public places orders have been used in (i) each local authority and (ii) each police authority, broken down by basic command unit, in each region of England and Wales in each year since the introduction of the powers.

Tony McNulty: Figures reported to the Home Office on  (a) antisocial behaviour orders,  (b) acceptable behaviour contracts,  (c) final warnings,  (d) individual support plans,  (e) action plan orders,  (f) child safety orders,  (g) referral orders,  (h) parenting orders,  (i) parenting contracts,  (j) local child curfew schemes,  (k) dispersal powers,  (l) fixed penalty notices for disorderly behaviour,  (m) detention and training orders, and  (q) designated public places orders by individual petty sessional area or police authority basic command unit are small and their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. However, information is available, either for England and Wales or at a local level or can be found on the web, as follows:
	 (a) Antisocial behaviour orders. A table giving a breakdown by the criminal justice system area and local government authority area in which prohibitions are imposed within antisocial behaviour orders is available on the Crime Reduction website at:http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/asbos2(1a)sept05.xls. This table gives data by year since ASBOs were introduced up to 30 September 2005 (latest available).
	 (b) Acceptable behaviour contracts. The data is not available in the form requested. However, for the last two years the Home Office Anti-social Behaviour Unit has carried out a survey of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and Community safety Partnerships in Wales asking about their actions taken to tackle antisocial behaviour. From those who responded to the surveys the results are as follows:
	
		
			  Acceptable behaviour contracts 
			   Number 
			 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2004 5,094 
			 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005 8,654 
		
	
	 (c) Final warnings. Data on the number of final warnings given to juveniles is in Criminal statistics, Table 3B and available via the following web link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimstats04.html.
	 (d) Individual support plans. Data on individual support plans are not collected centrally, but seven individual support orders were made at magistrates courts, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, from 1 April 2004 to 31 December 2004 and 24 from January 2005 to 30 September 2005 (latest available).
	 (e),  (g) and  (m) Action plan orders, referral orders and detention and training orders. Tables S3.2A and S3.4A of Volume three of the Criminal Statistics Supplementary Tables show for magistrates courts and the Crown court respectively, the number of persons sentenced for indictable offences to action plan orders, referral orders and detention and training orders by police force area. These can be found on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/cs2004vol3pt2.xls and http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/cs2004vol3pt4.xls.
	 (f) Child safety orders. Two child safety orders were made during piloting in 1999 and two more were reported during 2003. New arrangements for the collection of historic and ongoing statistics about child safety orders are being considered in conjunction with the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
	 (h) Parenting orders. Parenting orders were piloted between 30 Sept 1998 and 31 March 2000 during which period 284 parenting orders were made of which 174 were made during criminal proceedings for offences committed by the child or young person but data showing the breakdown by area is not available. Parenting orders were commenced in England and Wales in June 2000. The Youth Justice Board (the YJB) collects the number of parenting orders by youth offending team area as reported to it by youth offending teams. (Table 1) which highlights the number of parenting orders made in England and Wales April 2000-March 2004 will be placed in the Library.
	 (i) Parenting contracts. The YJB collects the number of parenting contracts related to youth offending or anti-social behaviour by youth offending team area as reported to it by youth offending teams. Table 2 which highlights the number of Parenting Contracts made in England and Wales April 2000-March 2004 will be placed in the Library.
	 (j) Local child curfew schemes. No applications have been made to the Home Secretary for the approval of local child curfew schemes.
	 (k) Dispersal orders. Information about the use of dispersal powers can be found in the document "Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour; The Story So Far and The Move to Respect" on the Respect website at: http://www.respect.gov.uk/whats-being-done/Respect_Tackling_anti-social_behaviour_the_story_so_far_and_the_move_to_Respect.pdf
	 (l) Penalty notices for disorder. Data on the number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued in 2004 broken down by police force area can be found at the following web link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/spnd.html.
	 (q) Designated public place orders. Information on the number of designated public places orders that have been introduced in each local authority area can be found at the following web link: www.crimereduction.gov.uk/alcoholorders01.htm.
	We have started a programme of work in the Home Office looking at the quality of existing data and how this might be improved.
	Statistics on  (n) seizure of vehicles used anti-socially,  (o) closure of licensed premises and  (p) confiscation of alcohol from young people are not collected by the Home Office.
	 Note: Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. These data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, police forces and other organisations. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Antisocial Behaviour

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2006,  Official Report, column 537W, on antisocial behaviour orders, how many antisocial behaviour orders have been breached in each criminal justice area in each year since their introduction.

John Reid: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBO) breach data are currently available for the period 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003. Available information by Criminal Justice System (CJS) area is given in the following table. More up to date data are being validated before publication and will be published in due course.
	
		
			  Number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBO's) breached as reported to the Home Office from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 
			  CJS area  Number of ASBOs breached 
			 Avon and Somerset 17 
			 Bedfordshire 12 
			 Cambridgeshire 8 
			 Cheshire 15 
			 Cleveland 17 
			 Cumbria 17 
			 Derbyshire 11 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8 
			 Dorset 2 
			 Durham 26 
			 Essex 2 
			 Gloucestershire 5 
			 Greater London 46 
			 Greater Manchester 138 
			 Hampshire 20 
			 Hertfordshire 9 
			 Humberside 10 
			 Kent 7 
			 Lancashire 37 
			 Leicestershire 4 
			 Lincolnshire 5 
			 Merseyside 22 
			 Norfolk 11 
			 Northamptonshire 1 
			 Northumbria 15 
			 North Yorkshire 8 
			 Nottinghamshire 13 
			 South Yorkshire 24 
			 Staffordshire 15 
			 Suffolk 9 
			 Surrey 4 
			 Sussex 18 
			 Thames Valley 8 
			 Warwickshire 14 
			 West Mercia 48 
			 West Midlands 81 
			 West Yorkshire 49 
			 Wiltshire 3 
			 England 759 
			   
			 Dyfed Powys 5 
			 Gwent 5 
			 North Wales 11 
			 South Wales 13 
			 Wales 34 
			   
			 Total England and Wales 793 
			 (1) Breaches are counted in this table on a persons basis, i.e. multiple breaches (occurring at the same time), or where the order has been breached on more than one occasion, are all counted as one breach. Note:Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Antisocial Behaviour

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued since their introduction; how many have been breached; and how many breaches have resulted in a custodial sentence.

Tony McNulty: From commencement, 1 April 1999 to 30 September 2005 (latest available) the number of antisocial behavior orders (ASBOs) issued within England and Wales was 7,356.
	ASBO breach data only ever cover breach proceedings where there has been a conviction. Those data are currently available for the period one June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000. During this period, of the 793 persons convicted for breaching their ASBO, on one or more occasions, 186 received a custodial sentence for breach of ASBO only.
	More up to date breach data are being validated before publication and will be published in due course.

ASBOs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders were issued in each London borough in each of the last five years to  (a) under 12 year olds,  (b) 12 year olds,  (c) 13 year olds,  (d) 14 year olds,  (e) 15 year olds,  (f) 16 year olds,  (g) 17 year olds and  (h) 18 years and over, broken down by  (i) sex and (ii) ethnicity.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is given in the table, a copy of which will be placed in the Library. Ethnicity is not collected centrally as part of the data collection of antisocial behaviour orders issued.

Anti-terrorism Plan

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of his Department's progress in implementing the 12-point anti-terrorism plan announced by the Prime Minister on 5 August 2005.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement which I made on 15 December 2005,  Official Report, column 167-171WS which gave a full progress report on the 12-point plan outlined by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 5 August 2005.
	There has been significant progress in the period since 15 December 2005. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Lebanon and the Terrorism and Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bills, which will enable us to give effect to a number of elements of the plan, are well advanced in their parliamentary passage.
	As indicated in my written ministerial statement, a further comprehensive report on progress will be given before the summer recess

Application Registration Cards

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people given conditional temporary admissions to the UK had their Application Registration Card removed because of failure to meet the specified conditions between 1 January and 30 June.

Liam Byrne: Current policy is that an ARC should only be taken from an applicant upon a grant of leave, prior to removal, or where there are grounds to suspect that the card has been falsified. Data on impounded Application Registration Cards (ARC) is not routinely kept.

Assaults

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attacks there have been on  (a) prison officers and  (b) probation officers in each (i) prison and (ii) probation service area in each of the last five years.

John Reid: The following table details the number of assaults on staff by prisoners for the last five years as reported on the central incident reporting system for prisons in England Wales. It is not possible to differentiate the grades of staff assaulted from these central records. There are no central records on the number of assaults that take place on probation officers in probation service areas.
	
		
			  Number of assaults on staff by prisoners for the last five years in prisons in England and Wales 
			   Prisoner on prison staff assaults 
			 2001 2,468 
			 2002 2,587 
			 2003 2,604 
			 2004 2,887 
			 2005 3,209 
			 Total 13,755

Asylum/Immigration

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost of processing an asylum application, including support, is according to the most recently available figures.

Liam Byrne: The most recently audited figure for the average cost of processing an asylum application in the Immigration Nationality Directorate, including support, is £3,050. This figure represents the average cost for asylum screening and initial decision but excludes legal aid and is derived from the National Audit Office report "Improving the Speed and Quality of Asylum Decisions", HC535 Session 2003-04, publication date 23 June 2004.

Asylum/Immigration

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many removals of failed asylum applicants have been made in the last  (a) one,  (b) three and  (c) 12 months.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 July 2006
	Information relating to the number of removals of asylum applicants is available from the Quarterly Asylum Statistics bulletin published in May 2006. At present the latest figures available correspond to the first quarter of 2006. Statistics on immigration and asylum, including the Quarterly Asylum bulletin, are available on the Home Office's research Development and Statistics website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum/Immigration

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any person granted family indefinite leave to remain since October 2003 had at the time of approval  (a) a criminal conviction and  (b) been the subject of (i) an antisocial behaviour order and (ii) a sex offender order.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 July 2006
	I am advised that from the Immigration Nationality Directorate internal records we are aware that we have, due to the exceptional nature of their cases indefinite leave to remain was granted to three families, where the applicant had an unspent criminal conviction for a recordable offence. None of these people were the subject of an antisocial behaviour or a sex offender order. In addition, four cases involving unspent convictions for non-recordable offences were also granted on a discretionary basis due to exceptional circumstances.

Asylum/Immigration

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been made under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on prosecutions is taken from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. The most recent year for which data is available is 2004. Data for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006, and data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	Some sections of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 came into force in June this year and the other sections are being progressively commenced over time. Information on prosecutions under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 is therefore not yet available.

Asylum/Immigration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change the management structure in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Liam Byrne: As part of the fundamental review of the Immigration Nationality Directorate currently underway we are further considering the future management structure of the organisation. Ministers reported their findings on 25 July. The report can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

Biometric Cards

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many immigrants had been issued with a biometric card under the REPARC system on 30 April;
	(2)  by what date he expects all immigrants reporting to centres using the REPARC system to be issued with a biometric card;
	(3)  what the average time taken was to process biometric cards given to immigrants using the REPARC system; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: I hope that, as the subject matter of the above questions are closely linked, it will be helpful if I deal with them in one reply. The Reporting Application Registration Card (RepARC) Project was introduced in 2004 to create an automated link between compliance with reporting restrictions attached to temporary admission and access to asylum support payments. All asylum applicants are issued with an Application Registration Card (ARC), which is a biometric card containing fingerprint data and is also used as the method of collection for asylum support payments. In the RepARC system, ARC'S are electronically revalidated at reporting events. Such events take 3-4 minutes including the process of checking identity and revalidation. Failure to report on two consecutive occasions leads to expiry of the card, and presentation of an expired card at a post office leads to denial of asylum support payments. This supports our policy of having in place a link between compliance with all aspects of the asylum process and access to support. If payment is suspended as described above, the remedy for the applicant is to resume reporting. If this does not happen, the case is referred to enforcement officers to locate the applicant; formal discontinuation of support may follow after eight weeks. Rollout of the RepARC process to all 11 IND reporting centres commenced in October 2005, in conjunction with the implementation of section 69 of the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (the payment of travel expenses for reporting). Key external stakeholders have been kept fully informed of the rollout timetable, which has so far delivered the system to the reporting centres in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Croydon, Glasgow, Solihull and two London centres. Rollout to the remaining reporting centres (north London, North Shields and Folkestone) will be complete by 31 July 2006, by which date it is expected that all NASS-s up ported applicants reporting to these sites will be reporting with an ARC. Non NASS-supported applicants are not covered by the RepARC scheme, although all asylum applicants are issued with ARC's. As of 30 April, 4250 asylum seekers with biometric ARC'S, the total of all NASS supported asylum seekers who report to RepARC-enabled centres, were reporting within the RepARC system.. Non NASS-supported applicants do not fall within the RepARC system but are still issued with ARC's, which are frequently used at reporting events to verify identity.

British Sign Language

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are laid down by his Department to govern the procedures for accessing British Sign Language interpreters and lipspeakers on a 24 hour basis for deaf people requiring assistance at police stations.

Tony McNulty: Code C issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 states (at paragraph 13.1) that chief officers of police are responsible for ensuring appropriate arrangements are in place for people who are deaf. The Code provides that, sign language interpreters should be drawn from the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People Directory of British Sign Language/English Interpreters. The Code also makes it clear that if a person appears to be deaf or there is doubt about their hearing or speaking ability, they must not be interviewed in the absence of an interpreter unless they agree in writing to being interviewed without one. There exists more detailed national guidance regarding interpreters in the criminal justice system and that is currently under review by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, with the Association of Chief Police Officers and other interested parties.

Cash Handling Centres

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2006,  Official Report, column 743W, on cash handling centres, what assessment he has made of whether appropriate action was taken following 20 December 2004 to review security arrangements at major cash handling centres in England and Wales.

Tony McNulty: The annual National Threat Assessment (NTA) prepared by National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) in conjunction with other police forces, provides the intelligence which allows cash handling centres to review, with police forces, the appropriateness of their of their security arrangements.
	The last published assessment by NCIS for the period 2004-05 to 2005-06 took account of major incidents over the past year and concluded that this did not amount to an overall increased level of risk at this time. Officials are continuing to work with the private security industry to identify ways to update and disseminate good practice.

Child Abusers

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many perpetrators of child abuse are known to his Department, broken down by age group; and how many in each age group have received treatment for their offending.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 3 July 2006
	There is no specific offence of child abuse. It is not possible to identify the number of offences of assault and harassment offences which were committed against children. There are, however, a number of offences specifically relating to child victims for which data are available from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. The number of defendants found guilty of these offences in 2004 is provided in the following table. Information on whether these offenders are receiving treatment is not centrally collected, however the current target is for 1,240 sex offenders to complete treatment in custody and a further 1,200 to complete treatment in the community during 2006-07.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty of offences related to child abuse, by age group of offender England and Wales 2004( 1,2) 
			  Offence class and principal statute  Offence description  10 to 17  18 to 20  21 and over  All ages 
			  Cruelty to or neglect of children  
			 Children and Young Persons Act 1933 Sec 1. Cruelty or neglect of children 3 55 482 540 
			  Buggery  
			 Sexual Offences .Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Sec 143, 144 Buggery or attempted buggery by a male of a male under 16 5 — 47 52 
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 143,144. Buggery or attempted buggery by a male with a female under 16 — 1 5 6 
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Sec 143.144. Buggery or attempted buggery by a male aged 21 or over with a female aged 16 or 17 — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 S1 Buggery or attempted buggery by a male aged 18 to 20 with a female aged under 16 — 1 — 1 
			   
			  Indecent assault on a male  
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 15. Indecent assault on male person under 16 years 45 15 217 277 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.6 Assault of a male child under 13 by penetration 1 — 1 2 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 7 Sexual assault of a male child under 13 4 — 3 7 
			   
			  Indecency between males  
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sees 12, 13 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 144. Gross indecency by a male aged 21 or over with a male aged under 18 — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 13 as amended by Sexual Offences(Amendment) Act 2000 S.1 Gross indecency or indecency by a male aged 21or over with male aged under 16 — — 1 1 
			   
			  Rape  
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 Rape of a female aged under 16 14 9 252 275 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 Rape of a male aged under 16 7 1 20 28 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 Attempted rape of a female aged under 16 5 1 35 41 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 Attempted rape of a male aged under 16 5 — 2 7 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 5 Rape of a female child under 13 by a male 1 1 3 5 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 5 Rape of a male child under 13 by a male 1 — — 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 5 Attempted rape of a male child under 13 by a male 1 — — 1 
			   
			  Indecent assault on a female  
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 14 as amended by Indecency with Children Act 1960 Sec 2. Indecent assault on females under 16 years of age 193 58 974 1,225 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.6 Assault of a female child under 13 by penetration 2 — 5 7 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 7 Sexual assault of a female child under 13 9 1 24 34 
			   
			  Unlawful sexual intercourse with a child under 13  
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 5. Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 13 8 — 1 9 
			 Sexual offences Act 1956 S.5 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 8 9 36 53 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 3.8(1X2) Causing or inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity—penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.8(1)(3) Causing or inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity—no penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.8 (1 )(2) Causing or inciting a male child under 13 to engage in sexual activity—penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b.cii)(2) Sexual activity with a female child under 13—offender aged 18 or over—penetration — — 2 2 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b,cii)(2) Sexual activity with a male child under 13—offender aged 18 or over—penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 10(1,a,b,c(ii))(2) Causing or inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity offender aged 18 or over—penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 11(1 a,b,c,d(ii))(2) Engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13(offender aged 18 or over) — — 6 6 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S12 (1 a,b,c(ii)X2) Causing a child under 13 to watch a sexual act(offender aged 18 or over) — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b.cii)(2) and S13 Sexual activity with a female child under 13—offender aged under 18 2 — 1 3 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a.b,cii)(2) and S13 Sexual activity with a male child under 13—offender aged under 18 1 — — 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 11(1 a,b,c.d(ii))(2) and S13 Engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13—offender under 18 1 — — 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b,cii)(3) Sexual activity with a female child under 13—offender aged 18 or over—no penetration — 1 4 5 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b.cii)(3) and 13 Sexual activity with a male child under 13—offender aged under 18—no penetration 3 — — 3 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 10(1.a.b.c(ii)X3) and 13 Causing or inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity offender aged under 18—no penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 10(1,a,b,c(ii))(3) and 13 Causing or inciting a male child under 13 to engage in sexual activity offender aged under 18—no penetration 2 — — 2 
			   
			  Unlawful sexual intercourse with a child  
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 6. Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16. 12 15 43 70 
			 Sexual offences Act 1956 S.6 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 9 31 118 158 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.4(1-4) Causing a female person to engage in sexual activity without consent—penetration 1 — — 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.4(1-4) Causing a male person to engage in sexual activity without consent—penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 3.4(1-3.5) Causing a female person to engage in sexual activity without consent—no penetration — — 2 2 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1,a,b,ci)(2) Sexual activity with a female child under 16 (offender aged 18 or over)—penetration — 9 29 38 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1,a.b.ci)(2) Sexual activity with a male child under 16 (offender aged 18 or over)—penetration — — 2 2 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.10(1a,b,ci)(2) Causing or inciting a female child under 16 to engage in sexual activity(offender aged 18 or over)—penetration — — 3 3 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 10(1a,b.ci)(2) Causing or inciting a male child under 16 to engage in sexual activity(offender aged 18 or over)—penetration — — 2 2 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 11(1 a.b.c.d(i))(2) Engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 16(offender aged 18 or over) — — 5 5 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S12 (1 a,b,c(i))(2) Causing a child under 16 to watch a sexual act(offender aged 18 or over) — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.91,a,b,ciX2) and S.13 Sexual activity with a female child under 16—offender under 18 8 — — 8 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 10(1,a,b,c(i)){2) and S.13 Causing or inciting a female child under 16 to engage in sexual activity—offender under 18 1 — — 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1.a,b,ci)(3) Sexual activity with a female child under 16 offender aged 18 or over—no penetration — — 10 10 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.10(1a.b,ci)(3) Causing or inciting a female child under 16 to engage in sexual activity(offender aged 18 or over)—no penetration — — 3 3 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1,a.b.ci)(3) and 13 Sexual activity with a female child under 16 (offender aged under18)—no penetration 1 — — 1 
			   
			  Incest  
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 10, 11. Incest with girl under 13 years old 3 1 6 10 
			 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 10. 11. Other incest — — 14 14 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1ei.2-3.5) Sexual activity with a female child family member—offender not 18 or over at time of offence and victim 13 to 17—no penetration 2 — — 2 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1eii,2-4a,6) Sexual activity with a female child family member—offender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim under 13—penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1ei,2-4b) Sexual activity with a female child family member—offender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim 13 to 17—no penetration — — 4 4 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1eii.2-4b) Sexual activity with a female child family member—offender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim under 13—no penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1eii,2-4b) Sexual activity with a male child family member—offender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim under 13—no penetration — — 1 1 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S26 (1eii,2-4b) Inciting a female child family member to engage in sexual activity—offender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim under 13—no penetration — — 1 1 
			   
			  Abuse of trust—sexual offences  
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S16(1ei,2-5) Abuse of a position of trust: Sexual activity with a female child. (Offender is aged 18 or over and victim is 13 to 17) — — 3 3 
			   
			  Miscellaneous sexual offences  
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S15 Meeting a female child following sexual grooming etc. (offender is aged 18 or over and victim is under 16) — — 3 3 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Colombia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost was of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency's operations in Colombia in 2006; what the projected budget is for 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: This is an operational matter for the Director General of SOCA.

Colombia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis the Serious and Organised Crime Agency staff are deployed in Colombia; and what the consequent liability for their activities in that country is for the Government.

Vernon Coaker: SOCA staff are deployed overseas on the basis of an assessment of the harm posed to the UK from serious organised crime in that region, and on an understanding of where the best opportunities lie for tackling that harm. Such deployment is with the full knowledge of the host government. SOCA staff deployed overseas have diplomatic accreditation and are therefore entitled to immunity from criminal, and within certain limited exceptions, jurisdictions of the receiving state.

Communications Officers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many communications officers were employed on 1 July 2006 by  (a) the Home Office and  (b) the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

John Reid: There are 204 employees within Communications Directorate, 95 of whom are GCN (Government Communications Network) staff.
	As at February 2006 there were 84 posts (81 full time equivalents when taking into account part time working patterns) within Immigration Nationality Directorate where staff were dedicated to undertaking communications roles. This figure includes but is not limited to press officers.

Community Cohesion

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why there has been slippage in reducing race inequalities and building community cohesion in relation to Strategic Objective PSA7.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	 Perceptions of discrimination by key public services
	The PSA examines an aggregate target; it seeks to decrease the percentage of BME people who believe that  one or more of the eight key public services (the five CJS agencies (Police Service, Prison Service, Courts, CPS and Probation), local GPs, local schools and council housing / housing associations) would discriminate against them and the percentage of BME people feeling they would be treated worse than people of other races by  one or more of eight public service organisations has remained unchanged since 2001.
	This data is disappointing but it is positive to note that individually perceptions of discrimination among BME people across the range of key public services have fallen since 2001, with the exception of council housing/housing associations where the figure remains the same.
	We are keen to learn what the key factors are which influence people's views of prejudice and have commissioned research into the drivers of perception which will report this autumn. We hopeful that final report from this research will enhance our knowledge in this area and our ability to assess what more might be done.
	 Perceptions of discrimination in the labour market
	On the labour market side, HOCS 2005 provided the first milestone since the 2003 baseline. Although there is no significant change on 2003, movement is in the right direction for one of the elements (refused a job). The percentage of people perceiving that they have been discriminated against because of their race when applying for a promotion did not change significantly although it has not moved positively in the direction we would have hoped.
	We recognise the need to address issues of progression in the work place for ethnic minorities The CRE's new "Code of Practice on Racial Equality in Employment" took effect from 6 April and will help business to promote diversity, by providing case studies, best practice and other practical guidance. In addition, the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force, led by the Minister for employment and welfare reform is coordinating work to improve employment chances for ethnic minorities.
	 Perceptions of community cohesion
	As the data for this element of the target was only baselined in the Citizenship Survey 2005, there is no current slippage here.
	 General
	A perceptions based target, this objective is extremely challenging. It requires not just working towards ensuring that the experiences that people have are fair and can be seen to be fair, but also tackling the inequalities which still exist for many groups and being open about the progress we are making and the work which remains to be done.
	This work is a long term objective and the impact that any progress made has on changing perceptions broadly, may take time to be seen in the data collected for this PSA. The PSA forms part of the Government's strategy to increase race equality and community cohesion, "Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society", and the first annual progress report on this will be published this summer.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, of 12 January regarding UK policy on returning asylum seekers to Zimbabwe on behalf of Dr. Margaret Sherratt (acknowledgement reference 185435/05).

Tony McNulty: My hon. Friend the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality replied on 1 December 2005.

Counter-terrorism

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has implemented to prevent a future terrorist attack in the UK.

Tony McNulty: The Government's counter terrorism strategy—known as CONTEST—was published on 10 July and explains the framework we have implemented to prevent a future terrorist attack in the UK. The Government are necessarily limited in what it can say about our counter-terrorism measures but the publication does give information about specific initiatives where it is possible to do so.
	The strategy is wide-ranging involving the whole of Government, international partners and agencies, including the police and intelligence agencies and our citizens in the UK from all communities. It is structured around four principal strands which are closely linked and together form an integrated and balanced approach. The strands focus on preventing terrorism through tackling the radicalisation of individuals; pursuing terrorists by disrupting their operations; protecting the UK's key assets at home and abroad; and ensuring that the UK is prepared to deal with the consequences of a terrorist attack.

Crime Statistics

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were recorded in each year since 1997 in  (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and  (b) the Sunderland city council area.

Tony McNulty: Information for the Houghton and Washington East constituency is not available centrally. The available information relates to the Sunderland Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area and is given in the tables. Data was collected at CDRP level for six key offences only for 1999 and for all crime from 2000-01.
	
		
			  Table 1: Recorded offences in the Sunderland Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area, 1999-2000 to 2001-02 
			   Number of offences 
			 1999-2000 n/a 
			 2001-01 30,407 
			 2001-02 33,259 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Recorded offences in the Sunderland Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area, 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			   Number of offences 
			 2002-03 38,196 
			 2003-04 34,612 
			 2004-05 30,447 
			 2005-06 28,429 
			  Note:  The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Crime Statistics

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) burglaries and  (b) robberies there were in Brent in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: Brent is a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Data at CDRP level are only available from 1999-2000 and the available information is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Recorded offences of burglary and robbery in Brent, 1999-2000 to 2001-02 
			   Burglary  Robbery 
			 1999-2000 3,320 2,014 
			 2000-01 4,441 1,941 
			 2001-02 4,099 2,359 
			  Notes: 1 . Figures for 1999-2000 are for domestic burglaries only.  2. Expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules came into effect on 1 April 1998. The figures in this table are therefore not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Recorded offences of burglary and robbery in Brent, 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			   Burglary  Robbery 
			 2002-03 3,859 1,795 
			 2003-04 4,062 1,807 
			 2004-05 3,987 2,084 
			 2005-06 3,904 2,355 
			  Note:  The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Crime Statistics

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department: 
	(1)  how many convictions for (a) murder, (b) rape, (c) sexual assault, (d) manslaughter and (e) robbery have been (i) overturned, (ii) reduced and (iii) increased after appeal in each of the last five years. [88500];
	(2)  how many convictions for  (a) murder,  (b) rape,  (c) sexual assault,  (d) manslaughter and  (e) robbery have been overturned in the last three years; and in how many cases of each type the sentence was reduced.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table sets out, for the past five years, the number of conviction appeals allowed, sentence appeals allowed and references by the Attorney General where the Court of Appeal Criminal Division decided to increase the sentence following review.
	All figures relate to cases where the named offence (including inchoate offences) was the main offence under consideration by the Court. However, some results may reflect circumstances where the court also reviewed other offences committed by the same applicant.
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  Murder   
			 Conviction appeal allowed(1) 15 17 20 31 28 20 
			 Sentence appeal allowed(2) — — — — 16 49 
			 Sentence increased following review 0 1 2 2 2 1 
			
			  Manslaughter   
			 Conviction appeal allowed(1) 4 1 5 3 5 5 
			 Sentence appeal allowed(2) 20 22 28 33 17 24 
			 Sentence increased following review 1 4 3 3 1 1 
			
			  Rape   
			 Conviction appeal allowed(2) 28 21 26 23 35 18 
			 Sentence appeal allowed(2) 40 39 28 37 42 53 
			 Sentence increased following review 4 2 7 10 2 4 
			
			  Robbery   
			 Conviction appeal allowed(1) 23 16 7 19 26 14 
			 Sentence appeal allowed(1) 113 109 125 172 159 130 
			 Sentence increased following review 11 11 16 14 9 11 
			  Sexual assault( 3)   
			 Conviction appeal allowed(1) 22 19 24 25 28 26 
			 Sentence appeal allowed(2) 77 71 78 117 80 77 
			 Sentence increased following review 5 7 6 14 10 4 
			 (1 )Includes cases where a retrial was ordered or where any aspect of the appeal was allowed. (2 )Includes all cases where there was any reduction to sentence, including reduction in tariff or to a non-custodial element.(3 )Includes indecent assault but not convictions for similar offences assault by penetration, indecency with a child.

Crime Statistics

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of  (a) drunkenness,  (b) driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs and  (c) causing death by dangerous driving when under the influence of drink or drugs in each year since 2003 in (i) England, (ii) each region and (iii) each London borough.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, on the number of people convicted of  (a) drunkenness,  (b) driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs and  (c) causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs (i) England, (ii) each region and (iii) each London Court Area from 2003 to 2004 can be found in the following tables, a copy of which I will place in the House Library. Note that the offence stated in part (iii) of the question relates to 'careless' driving rather than 'dangerous' driving. Because regional boundaries and court area boundaries differ slightly, totals for London may differ between tables when both breakdowns are used.
	Court proceeding statistics for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	In addition to this, the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was brought into effect in all police forces in England and Wales in 2004. Under the scheme the police are able to issue persons committing specified minor offences including being drunk in a highway and drunk and disorderly, with a fixed penalty notice. No admission of guilt is required and payment of the penalty discharges all liability for the offence. Data on the number of PNDs issued for these offences in each police force area in England in 2004 and 2005 (provisional) can also be found in the following tables. It is not possible to identify the number of PNDs which were issued in each London borough as the data is not collected at that level of detail centrally.
	In addition to this, the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was brought into effect in all police forces in England and Wales in 2004.
	Under the scheme the police are able to issue persons committing specified minor offences including being drunk in a highway and drunk and disorderly, with a fixed penalty notice. No admission of guilt is required and payment of the penalty discharges all liability for the offence. Data on the number of PNDs issued for these offences in each police force area in England in 2004 and 2005 (provisional) can also be found in the following tables. It is not possible to identify the number of PNDs which were issued in each London borough as the data is not collected at that level of detail centrally.
	
		
			  Number of persons convicted at all courts for offences relating to 'drunkenness' and 'drunkenness with aggravation' by region, England 2003 to 2004( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Drunkenness, simple  Drunkenness, with aggravation 
			  Region  2003  2004  2003  2004 
			 North East 88 94 4,553 4,437 
			 North West 149 106 5,174 3,130 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 222 166 2,670 1,625 
			 East Midlands 78 64 1,233 960 
			 West Midlands 123 132 1,029 1,128 
			 East of England 293 242 1,434 1,138 
			 London 210 162 2,141 1,055 
			 South East 486 418 3,661 2,791 
			 South West 350 290 1,998 1,286 
			  
			 England 1,999 1,674 23,893 17,550 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces.As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.(3) Includes the offence of "drunk and disorderly" [Criminal Justice Act 1967 Sec.91] and other miscellaneous offences of drunkenness with aggravation.Drunkenness, simple includes offences under S.12 Licensing Act 1872, Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 SS.1(4), 1A(4), 2.(2) and S.12 Criminal Justice & Police Act 2001 Source:Office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons convicted at all courts for offences relating to driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs, by region, England 2003 and 2004( 1, 2) 
			  Region  2003  2004 
			 North East 4,177 4,366 
			 North West 11,327 11,822 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 7,555 7,862 
			 East Midlands 6,138 6,621 
			 West Midlands 8,566 8,886 
			 East of England 8,177 8,605 
			 London 11,613 12,040 
			 South East 13,040 13,122 
			 South West 7,697 7,662 
			
			 England 78,290 80,986 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete.However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces.As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source:Office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of people convicted at all courts for offences relating to causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, by region England 2003 to 2004( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Region  2003  2004 
			 North East 2 2 
			 North West 5 6 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 5 7 
			 East Midlands 9 12 
			 West Midlands 6 6 
			 East of England 7 7 
			 London 4 8 
			 South East 9 7 
			 South West 7 6 
			
			 Regions Total and Figure for England 54 61 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete.However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces.As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.(3) Offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 Sec 3A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 Sec 3 and amended by CJA 1993, Sec 67. Source:Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Criminal Justice Boards

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets have been set for local criminal justice boards.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The targets that the Lord Chancellor the Attorney General and I have agreed with local criminal justice boards (LCJBs) for 2006-07 are set out in the Criminal Justice System Business Plan 2006-07. Each LCJB has targets to: improve confidence in the CJS; increase victim and witness satisfaction; bring more offences to justice; improve the enforcement of fines, failure to appear warrants, community penalties and confiscation orders; and meet the Persistent Young Offender pledge. The CJS Business Plan 2006-07 can be accessed at http://www.cjsonline.gov.uk/downloads/application/pdf/CJSpercent20Businesspercent20Planpercent202006-7.pdf

Criminal Justice IT Programme

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of the criminal justice IT programme.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The organisations that make up the Criminal Justice System use a variety of information systems designed to meet their local needs, but which were not originally designed to share information with colleagues working in other criminal justice organisations.
	This is why, in response to the "Justice for All" Government White Paper, the Criminal Justice System Information Technology (CJS IT) programme was established in 2002 with the following vision: "By March 31 2008, anyone involved in the CJS—users of it or people working within it—should have access from any browser enabled device, to a seamless, coherent set of computer systems and information to cover the breadth of their dealings".
	The overall cost of the CJS IT programme, across both SR2002 and SR2004, is £1.95 billion. This funding is ring-fenced, with spending controlled by five key-holders: the Home Secretary, the Attorney-General, the Lord Chancellor, the Minister for the CJS and the Director of Criminal Justice IT (CJIT).
	The programme sits under its own NCJB (National Criminal Justice Board) Sub-Group, chaired by the Minister for the CJS (delegated to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Gerry Sutcliffe MP), dedicated to tracking progress and assisting in the resolution of cross-cutting issues.
	The programme also reports to the Operational Board of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform—a cross-departmental organisation that supports all criminal justice agencies in working together to provide an improved service to the public and which reports on an equal basis to the Home Office, Department for Constitutional Affairs and Law Officers' Departments.
	Criminal Justice IT (CJIT), which was created to co-ordinate the CJS IT programme, is working with the criminal justice organisations to identify and implement ways to join up the individual processes, systems and services.
	CJIT has developed a set of key tools, techniques and repeatable processes to ensure successful delivery of this large-scale IT programme, many of which are creating best practice. These include evidence-based CJS IT portfolio prioritisation/investment appraisal, active benefits realisation, performance management, and full open, factual and transparent reporting to all stakeholders.
	Expenditure and deliverables for the CJS IT programme are approved annually by the five key-holders and monthly progress reports are provided to various governance bodies (including the Operational Board of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform) and key stakeholders (including Her Majesty's Treasury).

Criminal Records Bureau

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were made to the Criminal Records Bureau for  (a) enhanced and  (b) standard checks in the last year for which figures are available.

Joan Ryan: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 8 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1268W. In 2005, the Bureau received 293,615 standard disclosures and 2,443,207 enhanced disclosures.

Criminal Records Bureau

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average an applicant to the Criminal Records Bureau in  (a) November 2005 and  (b) February 2006 waited for a reply.

Joan Ryan: I refer the hon. Member for Birkenhead to my written answer of 6 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1325W.

Damages

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 875W, on damages, what the cost is of obtaining the information requested; how many of his Department's lawyers worked on such cases of damages against his Department in the last period for which figures are available; how damages payments are accounted for in his Department's accounts; what steps he takes to minimise future claims; which Minister is responsible for monitoring such claims; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: No central record is kept by either the Home Department or the Treasury Solicitors Department of the number of cases in which damages were paid or what the total sum paid out was. This information could be obtained only by searching through some 10,000 transaction sheets and then identifying the damages elements of these payments. This would involve a disproportionate cost. Detailed figures are not kept on how many lawyers are or have been involved in claims against the Home Office. Such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The way that damages payments are accounted for in the departmental accounts is seen in section 29, Losses and Special Payments, of the annual Resource Accounts. Also in the 2004-05 accounts there is a record in section 25, Contingent Liabilities, concerning the claims for compensation received by the Criminal Records Bureau. Ministers take responsibility for their own areas. Therefore ministerial responsibility for claims against the Home Office will depend on the particular area of the Department that the claim is made against.

Defendants' Anonymity

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received regarding anonymity for defendants in certain cases.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As on 25 July we had received seven items of correspondence since the beginning of this year, all of which concern defendant anonymity in sexual offences cases.

Departmental Finance

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual expenditure on training and development by  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) Executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005-06.

Liam Byrne: The information in the following table has been extracted from the accounting systems of the Home Office and its sponsored bodies. Actual data is shown for the years 2002-03 to 2004-05 with a forecast of out-turn shown for 2005-06. These costs do not cover activities such as mentoring and desk-side training, or the cost of IT training which is bought as part of a PFI arrangement.
	It is not possible to produce an analysis of spend by region as the information is not held in this way in the accounting systems of all the bodies covered by this reply.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Out-turn  Forecast 
			  Department, Agency, NPPB Etc.  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Core Home Office (1)73,200 17,745 (2)74,752 25,585 
			 Executive Agencies 25,342 24,753 24,688 31,565 
			 Non Ministerial Departments 424 (3)1,248 1,909 2,184 
			 Non Departmental Public Bodies 83,292 (4)112,488 104,483 108,578 
			 Public Corporation 3,142 3,136 3,450 (5)2,164 
			 Other Public Body 42,600 (6)59,299 66,944 (7)52,047 
			 Grand Total 228,234 218,914 276,529 227,863 
			 (1) This includes £54,827,000 that was spent on training the police in the use of DNA.  (2) £47,531,000 was spent on the police training reform.  (3) From this year expenditure by the Assets Recovery Agency is included.  (4) The main reason of the increase is that Centrex's recruitment was slow for 2002-03 and there was a substantial increase in their 2003-04 budget.  (5) The expenditure is from 1 April to 4 December 2005 when the Forensic Science Service ceased to be a trading fund and became a private limited company wholly owned by the Government.  (6) There were increased numbers of trainee probation officers and from 2003-04 their university fees could be accounted for separately.  (7) The year-by-year changes in expenditure reflect changes in the number of trainee probation officers.

Departmental Organisation

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct his officials to develop a criminal justice, immigration and mental health flow chart to identify the different routes that offenders follow and to assist in identifying and resolving gaps in the system.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made clear in his written statement of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 78-81 WS, there have never been systematic arrangements in place for collecting information on the nationality of mentally disordered offenders, referring them to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and considering them for deportation. He has tasked officials to construct arrangements for considering deportation where appropriate for people in this group taking account of their very specific circumstances. This work is ongoing and as part of this, appropriate pathways are being developed for the management of mentally disordered offenders.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people, and at what grades, are employed in his Department to work on criminal justice aspects of drugs and alcohol misuse.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 15 March 2006,  Official Report, column 308W.
	The breakdown by grade is set out in the following table. This is the most recent available data and differs from the information provided in March.
	
		
			  Grades   Drugs  Alcohol 
			 Senior Civil Service 6 0 
			 Grade 6 10 3 
			 Grade 7 29 5 
			 Senior Executive Officer 27 2 
			 Higher Executive Officer 28 2 
			 Executive Officer 26 2 
			 Administrative Officer 22 0 
			 Administrative Assistant 1 0 
			 Senior Personal Secretary 1 0 
			 Personal Secretary 6 1 
			 Grade not recorded centrally(1) 7 0 
			 June 2006 164 15 
			 February 2006(2) 181 15 
			 (1) Staff joining recently or in transit.(2) Figure used in 15 March PQ difference is due to time.

Departmental Staff

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of senior managers within the  (a) Serious and Organised Crime Agency,  (b) National Offender Management Service,  (c) Immigration and Nationality Directorate,  (d) Identity and Passport Service,  (e) Criminal Records Bureau and  (f) Forensic Science Service are (i) female and (ii) male; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The available figures are set out in the table. The definitions of senior management differs in some areas and figures are for Senior Civil Service grades except for the Prison Service, and Serious Organised Crime Agency where they list senior managers at Grade seven and above, and for Criminal Records Bureau which list their senior managers at Senior Executive Officer and above. Data is at 30 June 2006 except for National Offender Management Service staff in HQ and for the Immigration and Nationality Directorate which is for 31 March 2006. In addition the data for the National Probation Service was only available as at the end of 2005. As a result it has not been possible to provide a consistent figure for the total staff in NOMS. Forensic Science Service ceased to be a Home Office Agency and became a government limited company (Govco) in December 2006. Its figures are for the five SCS equivalent staff.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Female  Male 
			  (a) Serious and Organised Crime Agency 10.61 89.87 
			  (b) National Offender Management Service (NOMS) comprising:   
			 HM Prison Service 31.80 68.19 
			 National Probation Service 16.67 83.33 
			 NOMS HQ 34.48 65.5 
			  (c) Immigration and Nationality Directorate 32.56 67.44 
			  (d) Identity and Passport Service 40 60 
			  (e) Criminal Records Bureau 46 47 
			  (f) Forensic Science Service 0 100

Domestic Violence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests for domestic violence have been made in each  (a) London borough and  (b) constituency in each of the last five years, broken down by the offender's (i) age and (ii) ethnic origin; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Metropolitan Police Service (MRS) collect data at London borough level on domestic violence-related arrests broken down by offender's age and ethnicity (see tables). The MRS do not collect data at constituency level. The data demonstrates a steady increase in domestic violence-related arrests by the MRS. This is in line with the Home Office's objectives of increasing the reporting of domestic violence and police pro-activity in responding to domestic violence.
	
		
			  Age 
			   2001-02 
			  Borough  1-17  18-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60+  Total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 15 61 57 21 1 1 156 
			 Barnet 8 52 80 55 13 3 211 
			 Bexley 20 60 81 25 5 3 194 
			 Brent 12 85 127 41 16 4 285 
			 Bromley 7 38 68 23 12 2 150 
			 Camden 4 52 66 35 9 3 169 
			 Croydon 12 129 127 54 28 2 352 
			 Ealing 19 138 139 87 13 10 406 
			 Enfield 9 81 84 52 19 2 247 
			 Greenwich 22 135 125 61 14 2 359 
			 Hackney 27 210 196 75 22 16 546 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 12 85 121 55 14 9 296 
			 Haringey 15 92 114 52 6 8 287 
			 Harrow 21 102 113 56 16 2 310 
			 Havering 13 61 63 32 11 3 183 
			 Heathrow 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 
			 Hillingdon 6 64 99 45 22 6 242 
			 Hounslow 20 132 91 52 10 5 310 
			 Islington 11 112 158 64 14 14 373 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1 34 40 24 12 1 112 
			 Kingston upon Thames 11 43 34 29 7 1 125 
			 Lambeth 10 76 132 49 8 5 280 
			 Lewisham 12 168 158 74 13 4 429 
			 Merton 14 50 41 25 9 3 142 
			 Newham 10 105 116 40 7 2 280 
			 Redbridge 3 67 59 43 9 1 182 
			 Richmond upon Thames 14 37 55 24 4 2 136 
			 Southwark 14 144 176 87 22 4 447 
			 Sutton 5 33 47 18 8 0 111 
			 Tower Hamlets 13 76 66 24 1 3 183 
			 Waltham Forest 9 88 81 36 7 6 227 
			 Wandsworth 8 66 86 37 11 7 215 
			 Westminster 5 79 83 37 10 6 220 
			 Grand total 382 2,756 3,083 1,433 373 140 8,167 
		
	
	
		
			  Age 
			   2002-03 
			  Borough  1-17  18-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60+  Total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 23 117 135 52 6 2 335 
			 Barnet 7 60 89 41 11 1 209 
			 Bexley 12 103 96 41 15 0 267 
			 Brent 17 97 129 73 12 10 338 
			 Bromley 9 105 130 49 23 5 321 
			 Camden 8 73 114 55 20 7 277 
			 Croydon 20 109 127 51 11 6 324 
			 Ealing 25 168 228 121 31 14 587 
			 Enfield 16 91 114 50 20 6 297 
			 Greenwich 25 148 153 70 15 3 414 
			 Hackney 29 157 181 88 30 10 495 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 9 79 118 47 14 9 276 
			 Haringey 29 109 115 60 14 7 334 
			 Harrow 25 132 146 75 21 7 406 
			 Havering 10 101 107 69 19 3 309 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Hillingdon 5 79 90 42 15 7 238 
			 Hounslow 23 112 121 65 19 6 346 
			 Islington 12 83 103 35 9 1 243 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4 63 80 50 13 2 212 
			 Kingston upon Thames 6 51 52 21 11 1 142 
			 Lambeth 18 144 125 83 12 7 389 
			 Lewisham 10 146 138 52 11 9 366 
			 Merton 9 39 50 24 11 1 134 
			 Newham 15 166 178 72 9 6 446 
			 Redbridge 12 77 90 30 18 3 230 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3 35 64 31 12 6 151 
			 Southwark 9 169 170 81 12 6 447 
			 Sutton 18 50 78 26 9 2 183 
			 Tower Hamlets 183 11 132 97 47 9 3 
			 Waltham Forest 14 72 73 31 82 200 9 
			 Wandsworth 19 89 114 63 17 4 306 
			 Westminster 5 69 98 42 8 3 225 
			 Grand total 457 3,225 3,703 1,738 465 159 9,747 
		
	
	
		
			  Age 
			   2003-04 
			  Borough  1-17  18-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60+  U/R  Total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 38 117 115 58 11 3 0 342 
			 Barnet 8 67 63 29 15 2 0 184 
			 Bexley 15 87 109 38 9 2 0 260 
			 Brent 20 79 88 51 13 3 0 254 
			 Bromley 12 120 143 69 19 5 0 368 
			 Camden 6 98 120 70 21 8 0 323 
			 Croydon 19 95 167 56 30 10 0 377 
			 Ealing 16 132 158 75 24 6 0 411 
			 Enfield 14 103 106 54 17 5 0 299 
			 Greenwich 24 162 110 79 12 2 1 390 
			 Hackney 10 129 106 73 11 4 0 333 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 19 95 74 54 22 8 0 272 
			 Haringey 17 99 107 47 7 7 0 284 
			 Harrow 14 98 101 78 21 2 0 314 
			 Havering 7 55 77 27 11 5 0 182 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 12 72 68 39 6 4 0 201 
			 Hounslow 26 98 92 53 13 3 0 285 
			 Islington 19 95 103 48 19 4 0 288 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3 47 52 42 5 4 0 153 
			 Kingston upon Thames 8 41 42 28 3 0 0 122 
			 Lambeth 14 168 163 77 28 5 0 455 
			 Lewisham 17 148 183 64 18 9 0 439 
			 Merton 24 91 119 42 18 6 0 300 
			 Newham 18 109 111 52 13 3 0 306 
			 Redbridge 5 76 90 39 9 2 0 221 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3 44 55 30 12 8 0 152 
			 Southwark 10 105 136 54 11 7 0 323 
			 Sutton 10 51 62 32 15 2 0 172 
			 Tower Hamlets 299 7 94 111 62 17 6 0 
			 Waltham Forest 9 96 95 45 10 6 0 261 
			 Wandsworth 5 58 79 30 5 3 0 180 
			 Westminster 8 101 115 52 9 12 0 297 
			 Grand total 437 3,030 3,320 1,647 454 156 1 9,045 
		
	
	
		
			  Age 
			   2004-05 
			  Borough  1-17  18-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60+  U/R  Total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 33 116 95 47 9 3 0 303 
			 Barnet 13 82 103 59 15 3 0 275 
			 Bexley 24 84 81 57 17 0 0 263 
			 Brent 25 134 135 102 26 9 0 431 
			 Bromley 17 121 127 59 21 4 0 349 
			 Camden 17 151 154 91 43 7 0 463 
			 Croydon 38 162 155 91 23 6 0 475 
			 Ealing 26 166 184 103 27 11 0 517 
			 Enfield 27 104 127 67 11 1 0 337 
			 Greenwich 20 176 119 59 22 1 0 397 
			 Hackney 12 136 155 93 13 7 0 416 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 15 60 39 38 12 5 0 169 
			 Haringey 22 119 129 74 22 5 0 371 
			 Harrow 9 112 103 76 11 9 0 320 
			 Havering 12 69 90 57 14 6 0 248 
			 Heathrow 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Hillingdon 16 90 85 58 8 4 0 261 
			 Hounslow 24 133 93 62 19 6 0 337 
			 Islington 19 106 97 70 17 3 0 312 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4 37 40 19 9 1 0 110 
			 Kingston upon Thames 13 54 54 35 6 0 0 162 
			 Lambeth 25 150 155 74 16 5 0 425 
			 Lewisham 21 167 170 92 22 7 0 479 
			 Merton 21 61 60 39 4 3 0 188 
			 Newham 24 117 119 76 6 4 0 346 
			 Redbridge 8 78 62 43 18 4 0 213 
			 Richmond upon Thames 15 46 39 21 9 3 0 133 
			 Southwark 27 122 101 64 19 3 1 337 
			 Sutton 7 65 55 49 14 8 0 198 
			 Tower Hamlets 27 182 143 65 14 6 0 437 
			 Waltham Forest 19 104 121 63 23 8 1 339 
			 Wandsworth 6 65 71 39 8 7 0 196 
			 Westminster 8 87 106 62 15 4 0 282 
			 Grand total 594 3,457 3,367 2,004 513 153 2 10,090 
		
	
	
		
			  Age 
			   2005-06 
			  Borough  1-17  18-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60+  U/R  Total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 31 126 109 82 12 3 0 363 
			 Barnet 13 126 123 61 16 6 0 345 
			 Bexley 3 99 106 57 19 5 0 289 
			 Brent 7 95 80 50 18 9 0 259 
			 Bromley 4 98 100 59 20 7 0 288 
			 Cam en 20 198 177 104 34 6 0 539 
			 Croydon 3 160 144 94 23 3 0 427 
			 Ealing 23 140 128 81 34 7 1 414 
			 Enfield 34 124 112 84 25 4 0 383 
			 Greenwich 4 178 171 91 37 7 0 488 
			 Hackney 23 163 160 98 23 8 0 475 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 14 46 56 40 7 5 0 168 
			 Haringey 21 131 129 78 18 3 0 380 
			 Harrow 7 96 86 68 14 4 0 275 
			 Havering 12 149 151 94 36 6 0 448 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 30 144 91 69 19 7 0 360 
			 Hounslow 20 143 109 69 27 6 0 374 
			 Islington 8 158 141 63 10 3 0 383 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 5 72 68 46 20 2 0 213 
			 Kingston upon Thames 24 51 48 26 6 6 0 161 
			 Lambeth 14 155 151 103 22 5 0 450 
			 Lewisham 12 272 229 159 31 8 0 711 
			 Merton 15 87 113 43 9 5 0 272 
			 Newham 4 166 159 76 21 5 0 431 
			 Red bridge 7 94 87 52 20 3 0 263 
			 Richmond upon Thames 4 50 58 38 17 4 0 171 
			 Southwark 16 200 172 91 32 5 1 517 
			 Sutton 11 75 83 52 11 3 0 235 
			 Tower Hamlets 20 240 184 83 38 6 0 571 
			 Waltham Forest 4 163 178 112 27 10 0 494 
			 Wandsworth 8 124 96 71 27 10 0 336 
			 Westminster 7 83 83 59 23 8 0 263 
			 Grand Total 428 4,206 3,882 2,353 696 179 2 11,746 
			 U/R = Unrecorded 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2001-02 
			  Borough  White European  Dark European  African/Caribbean  Indian/Pakistani 
			 Barking and Dagenham 121 4 22 9 
			 Barnet 127 17 43 23 
			 Bexley 160 8 18 8 
			 Brent 88 15 141 34 
			 Bromley 128 4 14 2 
			 Camden 101 10 38 17 
			 Croydon 186 9 135 17 
			 Ealing 181 8 97 103 
			 Enfield 140 46 51 5 
			 Greenwich 263 7 71 12 
			 Hackney 178 60 285 19 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 183 10 93 4 
			 Haringey 123 41 105 16 
			 Harrow 173 6 74 45 
			 Havering 167 4 12 0 
			 Heathrow 0 0 1 1 
			 Hillingdon 172 10 24 30 
			 Hounslow 173 8 30 94 
			 Islington 218 51 94 9 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 56 3 30 9 
			 Kingston upon Thames 97 3 11 7 
			 Lambeth 113 10 141 8 
			 Lewisham 200 26 182 13 
			 Merton 101 1 28 10 
			 Newham 109 2 101 65 
			 Redbridge 87 13 37 40 
			 Richmond upon Thames 111 2 10 9 
			 Southwark 190 16 217 13 
			 Sutton 95 5 10 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 96 3 28 53 
			 Waltham Forest 116 11 72 26 
			 Wandsworth 107 4 95 5 
			 Westminster 105 17 48 16 
			 Grand total 4,465 434 2,358 723 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2001-02 
			  Borough  Chinese/Japanese  Arabian/Egyptian  Unrecorded  Annual total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 0 0 156 
			 Barnet 1 0 0 211 
			 Bexley 0 0 0 194 
			 Brent 2 5 0 285 
			 Bromley 1 1 0 150 
			 Camden 1 2 0 169 
			 Croydon 3 1 1 352 
			 Ealing 2 15 0 406 
			 Enfield 0 3 2 247 
			 Greenwich 3 2 1 359 
			 Hackney 3 0 1 546 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2 4 0 296 
			 Haringey 1 1 0 287 
			 Harrow 2 10 0 310 
			 Havering 0 0 0 183 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 2 
			 Hillingdon 4 2 0 242 
			 Hounslow 1 4 0 310 
			 Islington 0 1 0 373 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 5 9 0 112 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1 6 0 125 
			 Lambeth 4 4 0 280 
			 Lewisham 6 1 1 429 
			 Merton 0 2 0 142 
			 Newham 2 1 0 280 
			 Redbridge 2 2 1 182 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2 2 0 136 
			 Southwark 4 5 2 447 
			 Sutton 0 0 0 111 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 3 0 183 
			 Waltham Forest 1 1 0 227 
			 Wandsworth 2 2 0 215 
			 Westminster 4 30 0 220 
			 Grand total 59 119 9 8,167 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2002-03 
			  Borough  White European  Dark European  African/Caribbean  Indian/Pakistani 
			 Barking and Dagenham 251 4 46 28 
			 Barnet 140 13 39 12 
			 Bexley 230 5 19 12 
			 Brent 90 8 189 40 
			 Bromley 253 13 45 10 
			 Camden 152 13 63 27 
			 Croydon 169 11 119 23 
			 Ealing 224 16 151 171 
			 Enfield 135 66 74 19 
			 Greenwich 273 16 108 14 
			 Hackney 179 59 214 32 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 147 10 94 12 
			 Haringey 123 50 144 11 
			 Harrow 195 11 103 86 
			 Havering 273 4 24 7 
			 Heathrow 1 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 171 4 19 41 
			 Hounslow 211 8 55 69 
			 Islington 103 29 97 6 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 115 17 60 4 
			 Kingston upon Thames 110 5 12 4 
			 Lambeth 123 24 230 5 
			 Lewisham 169 23 162 6 
			 Merton 86 7 28 11 
			 Newham 184 12 140 103 
			 Redbridge 104 5 52 66 
			 Richmond upon Thames 131 4 7 4 
			 Southwark 198 14 210 19 
			 Sutton 153 3 16 8 
			 Tower Hamlets 131 10 53 103 
			 Waltham Forest 106 13 60 20 
			 Wandsworth 149 7 125 21 
			 Westminster 108 12 57 23 
			 Grand total 5,187 497 2,815 1,017 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2002-03 
			  Borough  Chinese/Japanese  Arabian/Egyptian  Unrecorded  Annual total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 6 0 335 
			 Barnet 1 4 0 209 
			 Bexley 0 0 0 267 
			 Brent 2 7 2 338 
			 Bromley 0 0 0 321 
			 Camden 4 18 0 277 
			 Croydon 0 1 1 324 
			 Ealing 10 15 0 587 
			 Enfield 2 1 0 297 
			 Greenwich 1 2 0 414 
			 Hackney 8 3 0 495 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3 10 0 276 
			 Haringey 2 4 0 334 
			 Harrow 0 11 0 406 
			 Havering 0 1 0 309 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 1 
			 Hillingdon 2 1 0 238 
			 Hounslow 0 2 1 346 
			 Islington 1 4 3 243 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3 13 0 212 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3 8 0 142 
			 Lambeth 3 4 0 389 
			 Lewisham 5 1 0 366 
			 Merton 1 1 0 134 
			 Newham 5 2 0 446 
			 Redbridge 1 2 0 230 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 5 0 151 
			 Southwark 1 4 1 447 
			 Sutton 2 1 0 183 
			 Tower Hamlets 2 0 0 299 
			 Waltham Forest 0 0 1 200 
			 Wandsworth 0 3 1 306 
			 Westminster 1 23 1 225 
			 Grand total 63 157 11 9,747 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2003-04 
			  Borough  White European  Dark European  African/Caribbean  Indian/Pakistani 
			 Barking and Dagenham 266 7 50 19 
			 Barnet 123 10 31 12 
			 Bexley 218 6 27 8 
			 Brent 73 12 117 45 
			 Bromley 297 12 46 8 
			 Camden 188 17 71 32 
			 Croydon 202 11 124 34 
			 Ealing 153 13 118 113 
			 Enfield 123 49 93 28 
			 Greenwich 263 14 92 15 
			 Hackney 126 43 138 19 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 130 13 103 10 
			 Haringey 89 41 133 14 
			 Harrow 168 13 71 59 
			 Havering 164 2 13 2 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 126 4 31 36 
			 Hounslow 180 9 26 64 
			 Islington 189 18 65 4 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 71 12 46 5 
			 Kingston upon Thames 97 3 13 5 
			 Lambeth 166 33 243 10 
			 Lewisham 192 23 210 8 
			 Merton 202 6 61 27 
			 Newham 120 8 124 47 
			 Redbridge 96 6 55 63 
			 Richmond upon Thames 122 4 13 12 
			 Southwark 146 26 141 1 
			 Sutton 149 1 11 9 
			 Tower Hamlets 145 5 59 85 
			 Waltham Forest 111 18 89 36 
			 Wandsworth 78 14 76 8 
			 Westminster 129 24 66 28 
			 Grand total 4,902 477 2,556 866 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2003-04 
			  Borough  Chinese/Japanese  Arabian/Egyptian  Unrecorded  Annual total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 0 0 342 
			 Barnet 1 7 0 184 
			 Bexley 1 0 0 260 
			 Brent 0 7 0 254 
			 Bromley 1 2 2 368 
			 Camden 6 7 2 323 
			 Croydon 4 2 0 377 
			 Ealing 2 11 1 411 
			 Enfield 1 3 2 299 
			 Greenwich 2 1 3 390 
			 Hackney 4 2 1 333 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3 13 0 272 
			 Haringey 2 2 3 284 
			 Harrow 2 1 0 314 
			 Havering 0 0 1 182 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 0 2 2 201 
			 Hounslow 0 5 1 285 
			 Islington 9 3 0 288 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 6 13 0 153 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2 1 1 122 
			 Lambeth 1 2 0 455 
			 Lewisham 5 1 0 439 
			 Merton 2 1 1 300 
			 Newham 3 2 2 306 
			 Redbridge 1 0 0 221 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 1 0 152 
			 Southwark 2 6 1 323 
			 Sutton 1 1 0 172 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 2 0 297 
			 Waltham Forest 4 2 1 261 
			 Wandsworth 0 2 2 180 
			 Westminster 6 43 1 297 
			 Grand total 72 145 27 9,045 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2004-05 
			  Borough  White European  Dark European  African/Caribbean  Indian/Pakistani 
			 Barking and Dagenham 198 11 73 15 
			 Barnet 170 18 50 29 
			 Bexley 233 5 16 6 
			 Brent 147 24 169 83 
			 Bromley 270 9 64 4 
			 Camden 264 27 111 41 
			 Croydon 225 25 182 36 
			 Ealing 204 15 130 146 
			 Enfield 161 59 84 31 
			 Greenwich 273 17 85 7 
			 Hackney 156 55 170 28 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 82 8 62 8 
			 Haringey 115 56 173 19 
			 Harrow 150 11 66 87 
			 Havering 205 8 25 2 
			 Heathrow 1 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 187 4 26 40 
			 Hounslow 187 12 56 74 
			 Islington 178 32 81 15 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 56 5 27 5 
			 Kingston upon Thames 129 5 13 12 
			 Lambeth 115 28 252 14 
			 Lewisham 216 35 208 15 
			 Merton 103 5 58 18 
			 Newham 124 5 147 62 
			 Redbridge 94 10 43 62 
			 Richmond upon Thames 108 2 10 9 
			 Southwark 160 17 142 9 
			 Sutton 177 2 12 5 
			 Tower Hamlets 193 27 70 137 
			 Waltham Forest 147 21 114 53 
			 Wandsworth 98 12 60 21 
			 Westminster 133 33 63 24 
			 Grand total 5,259 603 2,842 1,117 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2004-05 
			  Borough  Chinese/Japanese  Arabian/Egyptian  Unrecorded  Annual total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 2 4 303 
			 Barnet 1 6 1 275 
			 Bexley 0 1 2 263 
			 Brent 3 5 0 431 
			 Bromley 0 1 1 349 
			 Camden 10 6 4 463 
			 Croydon 1 4 2 475 
			 Ealing 4 17 1 517 
			 Enfield 0 1 1 337 
			 Greenwich 9 4 2 397 
			 Hackney 2 1 4 416 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2 7 0 169 
			 Haringey 3 4 1 371 
			 Harrow 1 4 1 320 
			 Havering 1 0 7 248 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 1 
			 Hillingdon 1 2 1 261 
			 Hounslow 1 6 1 337 
			 Islington 0 4 2 312 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2 15 0 110 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2 1 0 162 
			 Lambeth 5 8 3 425 
			 Lewisham 2 3 0 479 
			 Merton 1 3 0 188 
			 Newham 3 4 1 346 
			 Redbridge 1 2 1 213 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1 2 1 133 
			 Southwark 4 0 5 337 
			 Sutton 2 0 0 198 
			 Tower Hamlets 5 1 4 437 
			 Waltham Forest 3 1 0 339 
			 Wandsworth 1 2 2 196 
			 Westminster 4 25 0 282 
			 Grand total 75 142 52 10,090 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2005-06 
			  Borough  White European  Dark European  African/Caribbean  Indian/Pakistani 
			 Barking and Dagenham 252 9 72 23 
			 Barnet 212 20 68 33 
			 Bexley 226 7 42 11 
			 Brent 69 16 113 50 
			 Bromley 224 8 40 9 
			 Camden 294 34 139 53 
			 Croydon 214 13 162 34 
			 Ealing 167 9 116 108 
			 Enfield 156 81 115 27 
			 Greenwich 295 17 135 30 
			 Hackney 167 59 203 38 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 82 4 71 5 
			 Haringey 137 77 129 31 
			 Harrow 139 12 49 70 
			 Havering 399 7 32 6 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 232 11 57 55 
			 Hounslow 206 11 56 89 
			 Islington 188 42 119 20 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 112 12 54 7 
			 Kingston upon Thames 121 11 17 7 
			 Lambeth 129 43 253 19 
			 Lewisham 311 22 350 20 
			 Merton 174 7 60 27 
			 Newham 172 5 138 112 
			 Redbridge 101 5 67 84 
			 Richmond upon Thames 138 8 16 8 
			 Southwark 237 33 219 22 
			 Sutton 184 6 34 6 
			 Tower Hamlets 250 19 91 202 
			 Waltham Forest 201 31 206 52 
			 Wandsworth 175 23 100 29 
			 Westminster 129 18 57 27 
			 Grand total 6,093 680 3,380 1,314 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity 
			   2005-06 
			  Borough  Chinese/Japanese  Arabian/Egyptian  Unrecorded  Annual total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1 5 1 363 
			 Barnet 7 5 0 345 
			 Bexley 1 0 2 289 
			 Brent 4 7 0 259 
			 Bromley 2 4 1 288 
			 Camden 10 9 0 539 
			 Croydon 3 1 0 427 
			 Ealing 5 9 0 414 
			 Enfield 2 1 1 383 
			 Greenwich 9 1 1 488 
			 Hackney 3 3 2 475 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2 4 0 168 
			 Haringey 6 0 0 380 
			 Harrow 2 3 0 275 
			 Havering 0 1 3 448 
			 Heathrow 0 0 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 2 1 2 360 
			 Hounslow 4 8 0 374 
			 Islington 8 4 2 383 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 7 19 2 213 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2 1 2 161 
			 Lambeth 2 4 0 450 
			 Lewisham 4 1 3 711 
			 Merton 3 0 1 272 
			 Newham 2 1 1 431 
			 Redbridge 3 2 1 263 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 1 0 171 
			 Southwark 2 3 1 517 
			 Sutton 3 2 0 235 
			 Tower Hamlets 6 1 2 571 
			 Waltham Forest 2 1 1 494 
			 Wandsworth 6 3 0 336 
			 Westminster 5 27 0 263 
			 Grand total 118 132 29 11,746

Domestic Violence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) arrests and  (b) convictions there have been for domestic violence in each London borough in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The number of arrests for domestic violence in each London borough is only available from 2001-02. The total number of domestic violence arrests for each London borough are contained in the following table. The data demonstrates a steady increase in domestic violence-related arrests by the MPS. This is in line with the Home Office's objectives of increasing the reporting of domestic violence and police proactivity in responding to domestic violence. The CPS does not hold a historical record of domestic violence data for each London borough. The following data is for the number of domestic violence convictions as a proportion of domestic violence prosecutions in the jurisdiction of the London courts. 2005-06—2,503 convictions (51.7 per cent. of prosecutions). 2004-05—1,365 convictions (48.6 per cent. of prosecutions). Comparable figures are not held for years prior to 2004-05.
	
		
			  Persons accused of domestic violence broken down by borough and age range 
			  Financial year  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 156 335 342 303 363 
			 Barnet 211 209 184 275 345 
			 Bexley 194 267 260 263 289 
			 Brent 285 338 254 431 259 
			 Bromley 150 321 368 349 288 
			 Camden 169 277 323 463 539 
			 Croydon 352 324 377 475 427 
			 Ealing 406 587 411 517 414 
			 Enfield 247 297 299 337 383 
			 Greenwich 359 414 390 397 488 
			 Hackney 546 495 333 416 475 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 296 276 272 169 168 
			 Haringey 287 334 284 371 380 
			 Harrow 310 406 314 320 275 
			 Havering 183 309 182 248 448 
			 Heathrow 2 1 0 1 0 
			 Hillingdon 242 238 201 261 360 
			 Hounslow 310 346 285 337 374 
			 Islington 373 243 288 312 383 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 112 212 153 110 213 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 125 142 122 162 161 
			 Lambeth 280 389 455 425 450 
			 Lewisham 429 366 439 479 711 
			 Merton 142 134 300 188 272 
			 Newham 280 446 306 346 431 
			 Redbridge 182 230 221 213 263 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 136 151 152 133 171 
			 Southwark 447 447 323 337 517 
			 Sutton 111 183 172 198 235 
			 Tower Hamlets 183 299 297 437 571 
			 Waltham Forest 227 200 261 339 494 
			 Wandsworth 215 306 180 196 336 
			 Westminster 220 225 297 282 263 
			 Grand total 8,167 9,747 9,045 10,090 11,746

Domestic Violence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2005,  Official Report, column 438W, on domestic violence, if he will publish the  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005 results on victimisation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The British Crime Survey (BCS) measures victimisation against adults living in private households in England and Wales. Domestic violence is included as part of the survey's core measure of violent crime. The results from the 2004-05 and 2005-06 BCS surveys have been published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletins 11/05 "Crime in England and Wales 2004-05" and 12/06 "Crime in England and Wales 2005-06". The BCS also includes a self-completion module of questions on interpersonal violence; this covers domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The module was included in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 surveys. The results from the 2004-05 survey were published in May 2006, in Home Office Online Report 12/06. It is currently planned that the results from the 2005-06 survey will be published early 2007.The results from the 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey, which includes general data on nature of personal victimisation of young people aged 10 to 25, were published on the 24 November 2005, in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 20/05 "Young people and crime: findings from the 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey, Appendix D". It is currently planned that the results from the 2005 survey will be published late 2006.

Drug Intervention Programme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the results of the pilots in five areas of the Drug Intervention Programme.

Vernon Coaker: The hon. Member originally raised this question on 7 November 2005. Given that there were no pilots in any "five areas of the Drug Interventions Programme" it was agreed that the question would be withdrawn and re-tabled. The re-tabled question was answered on 6 February 2006 and I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 February 2006,  Official Report, column 937W.
	I am now pleased to give the hon. Member the latest position on numbers into treatment. Since the introduction of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) in April 2003, over 48,000 drug misusing offenders have entered treatment through DIP (May 2006). We are on track to achieve the overall target of 1,000 offenders a week into treatment by 2008 and we exceeded the interim (March 2005) target by 54 per cent.

Drug Strategies

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has made for the review of the  (a) UK and  (b) UN drug strategies in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Government's Drug Strategy is delivering tangible improvements in communities across the country. The Drug Harm Index, which measures a range of harms caused by drug misuse, shows a 24 per cent. reduction since the introduction of the updated Drug Strategy in 2002.
	In advance of 2008, a full review will be undertaken to inform the next stage of the Strategy. Departments delivering the Drug Strategy are currently participating in the comprehensive and in-depth value for money programme led by HMT as part of the preparations for the Comprehensive Review 2007, due to report next year.
	With its European Union partners, the Government are seeking to ensure that the 10-year plan of action, established by the 1988 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs, is evaluated rigorously and realistically, through the best available scientific and statistical evidence; and that the results of the evaluation will lay firm foundations for realistic future UN strategies against illicit drugs.
	Decisions made on the future direction and form of the post 2008 strategies will be communicated to all partners and stakeholders at the earliest opportunity.

Drugs

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of possession with intent to supply  (a) cannabis,  (b) ecstasy,  (c) cocaine,  (d) crack cocaine and  (e) heroin in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Available data relates to court proceedings within London's City and Metropolitan police areas between 2000 and 2004. Information cannot be broken down to London borough level.
	
		
			  Table A: Persons found guilty for possession with intent to supply( 1)  drug offences( 2) , City of London police force area,2000 to 2004 
			  Drug type 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
			 Cannabis(3) 0 1 3 3 0 
			 Ecstasy 1 2 4 6 1 
			 Cocaine 0 1 1 7 4 
			 Crack 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Heroin 0 1 3 0 0 
			 (1) Excludes operations dealt with by HM Revenue and Customs.  (2) As an offence can involve more than one drug type, columns cannot be added together to produce sub-totals or totals.  (3) On 29 January 2004 cannabis was re-classified from being a class B to a class C drug. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Persons found guilty for possession with intent to supply drug offences( 1) , Metropolitan police area, 2000 to 2004 
			  Drug type  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Cannabis 3 333 350 352 362 295 
			 Ecstasy 127 119 105 116 81 
			 Cocaine 133 208 218 221 246 
			 Crack 68 82 89 118 107 
			 Heroin 130 170 154 215 179 
			 (1) Excludes operations dealt with by HM Revenue and Customs.

Drugs

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) x-ray and  (b) ultrasound scanners are in use by the police for dealing with those suspected of possessing class A drugs.

John Reid: Section five of the Drugs Act 2005 gave police forces in England and Wales the power to require a person believed to have swallowed a class A drug to undergo an x-ray or ultrasound scan in certain circumstances. The provision was commenced on 1 January 2006. Such a procedure may only be carried out by a suitably qualified person, and only at a hospital, a registered medical practitioner's surgery, or some other place used for medical purposes. It follows that no scanners are used solely by the police or solely for this purpose.

Early Release

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been released under the early release scheme in each year since its introduction; and what assessment he has made of the scheme's effect on demand for prison places.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Under the Criminal Justice Act 1991, those sentenced to determinate sentences of four years or more are eligible for parole halfway through their sentence. If parole is not granted then release occurs at the two-thirds point of the sentence (or at a subsequent parole review if earlier). Numbers of prisoners recommended for parole are shown at table 10.4 of the offender management caseload statistics 2004, a copy of which can be found in the Library.
	Prisoners sentenced to determinate terms of under four years under the 1991 Act are generally released automatically at the halfway point of their sentence.
	The Home Detention Curfew scheme (HOC) has been in operation since January 1999. Subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and passing a careful risk assessment, prisoners serving sentences of between three months and less than four years may be released up to four and a half months (135 days) early from prison subject to an electronically monitored curfew normally between 7pm and 7am. Although not its primary purpose, HDC plays an important role in managing the prison population by reducing overcrowding at the same time as improving resettlement opportunities for less serious offenders. Information on the numbers of prisoners released under Home Detention Curfew (HDC), can be found in tables 10.3 in the offender management caseload statistics 2004.
	The figures provided in the tables referred to have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.
	The Criminal Justice Act 2003 introduced new arrangements for prison sentences. They apply only to offences committed on or after 4 April 2005. A new indeterminate public protection sentence was introduced. Those offenders judged to be dangerous, and who have committed serious sexual or violent offences, can be kept in prison until the Parole Board judges it is safe to release them. If they have committed less serious offences they may serve a determinate sentence followed by an extended period on licence after release of up to eight years for sexual offences and five years for violent offences. Other determinate sentence prisoners will be released automatically at the half way point of their sentence.
	At any one time about 2,700 people—who would otherwise be filling prison places—are serving the last part of their sentence on HOC. The other early release arrangements described above inform projections of the prison population. Projections to 2011 have been produced for a range of scenarios and are published in Home Office statistical bulletin 10/05, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library. Further projections will be published shortly.

Early Release

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what monitoring procedures are in place for prisoners released before their sentence expiry date.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Prisoners sentenced to a determinate sentence of 12 months or over who fall to be released under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 are subject to probation supervision from the point at which they are released until their licence expiry date (which will extend up until the three quarter point of their sentence). Prisoners recalled during that period are re-released at the discretion of the Parole Board and are normally subject to further probation supervision until the expiry of their sentence. Prisoners sentenced to a determinate sentence of 12 months or over under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 are subject to probation supervision from the point of release until the expiry of the sentence. Prisoners sentenced to an extended sentence are subject to probation supervision for the normal licence period as well as the extension period of the sentence. All prisoners subject to probation supervision are required to report to their supervising officer and may be required to live where directed and to comply with a range of other licence conditions which assist the Probation Service to monitor their behaviour in the community. Failure to comply can result in the offender's licence being revoked and the offender's being returned to custody. Determinate sentence prisoners serving a sentence of three months or over but less than four years may be released up to 135 days before their automatic release date on the home detention curfew scheme. These prisoners are subject to an electronically monitored curfew and liable to recall if they breach the terms of the curfew. Young offenders (those aged under 22 years upon their release) who are serving a sentence of less than 12 months and who fall to be released under the Criminal Justice Act 1991 receive a period of statutory supervision upon their release, which runs for three months (or until the offender reaches 22 years of age).

Effective Trials Management Programme

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effective trials management programme.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The primary aim of the effective trial management programme is to reduce the number of ineffective trials by improving case preparation and progression from point of charge through to trial or earlier conclusion. By increasing the certainty of trial or hearing dates, the programme aims to bring more offences to justice and improve public confidence in the criminal justice system, particularly that of victims and witnesses. Effective trial management formed part of the wider criminal case management programme aimed at improving the end to end process, and which included the setting up of 165 Witness Support Units under the No Witness No Justice project, and the roll-out of the new charging scheme.
	Implementation of the effective trial management programme, together with the other two elements of the wider criminal case management programme, has been completed in all criminal justice areas across England and Wales. The indications are that reductions in headline ineffective trial rates have been achieved. Stakeholder confidence and satisfaction in the changes remains high, with effective trial management being a priority at local and national level.

Emergency Planning Exercises

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what emergency planning exercises  (a) his Department and  (b) public bodies for which he is responsible have carried out in the last six months.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office leads the National Counter Terrorism Exercise Programme which is designed to test the preparedness of the police to respond to major terrorist incidents and to drive improvements to counter terrorist contingency planning within government departments. As part of this the Home Office runs three national exercises each year as well as up to 12 table top exercises.
	Two full scale national counter terrorism exercises and nine table top exercises were held between September 2005 and August 2006.
	Individual police forces also run their own counter terrorism and other civil contingencies exercises at local level. Details of these exercises are not held centrally.
	In addition, the Home Office also carries out business continuity planning, disaster management and other contingency planning in order to ensure that its business can continue in the event of an incident that might otherwise affect its ability to function normally. Home Office Headquarters has not exercised these plans between September 2005 and August 2006. Details of emergency planning exercises held in individual immigration offices, immigration detention centres, immigration ports, prisons and other offices falling within the Home Office's remit, are not held centrally.

Extradition

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for extradition  (a) were received in 2005 and  (b) have been received in 2006 from each of the countries that were the subject of the part 2 Territories Designation Order 2003.

Joan Ryan: The figures for those countries which were designated under the Extradition Act 2003 (Designation of Part two Territories) Order 2003, and which made requests under the Extradition Act 2003 during the periods in question, are given in the table. The figures do not include requests made to Ministers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, who have devolved powers to make or grant requests.
	
		
			  Part two Territories  (a) 2005  (b) 2006 (to 18 July 2006) 
			 Albania 2 4 
			 Armenia — 1 
			 Australia 3 4 
			 Azerbaijan 1 — 
			 Canada 3 1 
			 Croatia 2 2 
			 Czech Republic(1) 1 — 
			 Georgia 1 — 
			 Germany(1) 1 — 
			 Hong Kong SAR — 1 
			 India 4 — 
			 Israel 2 — 
			 Italy(1) 3 — 
			 Mauritius 1 — 
			 Norway 1 — 
			 Romania 14 2 
			 Russian Federation 5 4 
			 Switzerland — 2 
			 Trinidad and Tobago — 2 
			 Turkey 1 2 
			 USA 8 9 
			 (1) Upon joining the European Arrest Warrant mechanism, these countries were re-designated as Part one Territories on the following dates: Czech Republic and Germany: 1 March 2005; France: 27 July 2004; Italy: 28 July 2005.

Extremism/Islamaphobia

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in setting up a national forum against  (a) extremism and  (b) Islamophobia as proposed in response to the 7 July bombings.

Meg Munn: holding answer 19 May 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	Six regional forums are to be created, led by key individuals and bringing together members of local Muslim communities, law enforcement and public service agencies to discuss how to tackle extremism and Islamophobia in their area. The forums will provide a safe space for sharing views and developing new thinking and action plans for dealing with extremism. The first 3 Forums have taken place in Leicester (18 June), Redbridge (24 June), and Dudley (3 July). A further three are planned before November.
	A national forum against extremism has been formed by 12 Muslim organisations; they plan to hold a conference in the autumn.

Foreign Criminals

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answers of 29 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 641-2W, on foreign criminals, where in the written statement of 29 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 18-19WS, on deportation and removal of foreign nationals, or in the letter from the Director-General of the Immigration and Nationality Department to the Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee the information sought in Question numbers 67390 and 67391 is to be found.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 July 2006
	The Immigration Nationality Directorate (IND) Director General's letter of 29 June provided a comprehensive breakdown at that time on the 1,013 foreign national prisoners released without deportation consideration. The information was collated centrally and quality assured by the Department and is the most accurate and robust data currently available to the Department on these individuals.
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will be writing shortly to the hon. Member to address the particular point she raised with him on 17 July 2006,  Official Report, column 3W, regarding sex offenders in oral questions to the Home Department.

Foreign Criminals

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people granted asylum in the UK in the last 10 years committed criminal offences which attracted  (a) custodial and  (b) non-custodial sentences in each year since 1997, broken down by country of origin;
	(2)  how many people given indefinite leave to remain in the UK within the last 10 years committed criminal offences which attracted  (a) custodial and  (b) non-custodial sentences in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many illegal immigrants have been convicted of criminal offences which attracted  (a) custodial and  (b) non-custodial sentences in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available centrally as details relating to the immigration status of persons sentenced does not form part of the Home Office Court Proceedings Database. Neither does the Immigration and Nationality Directorate hold information centrally on offences committed by or convictions and sentences imposed on persons falling within these categories.

Foreign Criminals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners were imprisoned in each year between 1999 and 2005; and what the average time spent in prison was by these prisoners.

Liam Byrne: Information for the years 1999 to 2005 on the number of foreign nationals held in prison establishments in England and Wales is given in table 8.4 and 8.4a of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004. Information on the average time served in prison establishments of foreign nationals discharged from determinate sentences is given in the following table.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	
		
			  Average time served in prison (including remand time) in months of foreign national prisoners discharged from prison from determinate sentences on completion of sentence or on licence 
			  Year of discharge  Number of prisoners 
			 1999 9.9 
			 2000 10.2 
			 2001 10.2 
			 2002 10.0 
			 2003 10.4 
			 2004 10.7 
			 2005 9.3

Foreign Criminals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has carried out on the rates of recidivism among foreign national prisoners.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Office has not conducted any specific research into re- offending amongst foreign national prisoners. Reoffending rates for discharged prisoners are published annually. These include foreign national prisoners (unless marked as deported upon release from custody) but separate figures are not available for this group. The latest figures can be found in 'Adult re-offending: results from the 2002 cohort'. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 25/05'. This is available on the Home Office's website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html. The report shows the re-offending rate of offenders released from prison for 2002 and 2000.

Fox Hunting

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers  (a) Scottish police forces operating close to the border have to enforce the fox hunting ban in England and  (b) English police forces operating close to the border have to enforce the fox hunting ban in Scotland.

Tony McNulty: Section 98 of the Police Act 1996 enables aid to be provided between police forces in the different jurisdictions within the United Kingdom. While providing mutual aid a constable is under the direction and control of the receiving force and has the powers and privileges of a constable in the receiving force.
	Where cross border aid provisions are not in effect Part 10 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provides police constables from one jurisdiction with the following enforcement powers in other jurisdictions in the UK:
	Section 140 provides that where a constable in one jurisdiction has a power to arrest a person for an offence committed in their jurisdiction an officer from another jurisdiction who is present there has the same power of arrest in the jurisdiction where the offence was committed.
	Section 137 provides that where a person suspected of committing an offence in one jurisdiction is in another jurisdiction an officer from the jurisdiction where the offence was committed has the power to arrest the suspect in the other jurisdiction.
	The issue of mutual aid or the exercise of cross-border powers is an operational matter for the individual Chief Officers concerned.

Gambling

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been prosecuted for gambling offences in each of the last five years.

John Reid: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts for offences related to gambling, in England and Wales 2000-04 are provided in the following table. Because of the large range of offences included, data has been provided at offence class level, divided between summary and indictable gambling offences. Data for 2005 will be available in the autumn.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts for offences related to illegal gambling, England and Wales, 2000-04( 1,2) 
			   Betting, gaming and lotteries offences 
			   Indictable offences  Summary offences 
			 2000 19 13 
			 2001 13 37 
			 2002 10 35 
			 2003 12 10 
			 2004 14 5 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Note:Includes offences related to gaming regulations, amusements, unlicensed gambling and national lottery offences.

HMP Dartmoor

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the Inner Change programme at HMP Dartmoor; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The programme was introduced as a pilot only. Following a review under Prison Service Order 4350 (Effective Regimes Interventions) the programme is currently being withdrawn. The Review Panel identified a range of concerns, the most significant being the poor quality of the manuals which did not demonstrate a structured and coherent programme, a lack of consistency and clarity about the primary aims of the programme, a lack of understanding and appropriate sensitivity to the diversity agenda of HM Prison Service, and an absence of protocols for the management of the mentor system, making it unsafe.

Human Rights Legislation

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received recent advice on the effects on the functions of his Department of human rights legislation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 19 June 2006
	The recently published document "Rebalancing the criminal justice system in favour of the law-abiding majority" reflected the results of a review carried out inside Government, informed by experience and research and by consultation with the frontline on how the Human Rights Act impacts on the criminal justice system. This revealed that the Human Rights Act provides a powerful framework to protect the rights of individuals but secure a proper balance with the safety of the law-abiding majority. It gives effect in UK law to the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights to which we have been bound for over half a century. The document stated that where the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg interprets the Convention in a way which prevents the proper application of this balance (in particular the 1996 Chahal case where the Court found the UK Government could not consider the protection as a balancing factor when arguing the case for the deportation of a dangerous person) we will work with European partners to challenge this. The review also identified the need to do more to ensure that the Human Rights Act is not misinterpreted to prevent action to protect the public. In the light of recent cases such as the tragic murder of Naomi Bryant the Government are conducting a thorough review of how police, probation, parole and prison service balance public protection and individual and collective rights. If necessary we will legislate to ensure that public protection is given priority. In other cases, the review identified instances where organisations are over-cautious in their interpretation of competing rights. To combat this, we will make better practical advice available to practitioners on how rights should be balanced between offenders and the wider community and create an advice service to allow front-line practitioners to obtain fast online access to relevant legal resources. We will also institute a routine process of review through a scrutiny panel (made up of practitioners and lawyers) reporting to the National Criminal Justice Board (which includes relevant CJS Ministers) which will scrutinise the application of rights and ensure that the approach to administration is robust and fair and propose further changes to the law and guidance where it detects problems or imbalances.

Human Trafficking

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) arrested,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) found guilty of offences related to human trafficking, in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 20 June 2006
	Reflex the multi-agency taskforce set up to deal with organised immigration crime reported the following arrests for human trafficking. The figures that they have available on the number of arrests for trafficking are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 102 
			 2005-06 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	Following the commencement of dedicated trafficking offences in 2004 the convictions are as follows:
	
		
			   Conviction 
			 2004 3 
			 2005 23 
			 2006 (To date) 3 
		
	
	Prior to the introduction of this dedicated legislation there was only one conviction for a trafficking offence under the Immigration Act 1971.
	Operation Pentameter a multi-agency initiative aimed at tackling the trafficking of human beings for sexual exploitation was recently co-ordinated across the whole of the UK involving all 55 police forces and a number of NGO's. This has led to 232 arrests and 134 people charged for trafficking-related offences to date.

Human Trafficking

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the practical implications of the European Convention on Trafficking Human Beings in making his decision on whether to ratify the convention.

Vernon Coaker: The UK is currently considering whether to sign the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Human Trafficking.
	In July last year a questionnaire was issued seeking information about the methods of support in place in other European Union (EU) countries. The responses to that questionnaire are now being analysed for evidence on how the automatic granting of reflection periods and residence permits to those presenting as victims of trafficking are operating in other European transit or destination countries where they have been introduced.
	A case-by-case approach, as operated in the United Kingdom, does not appear to be less effective at offering targeted support, than these new approaches.
	The Government are examining how the convention's approach could best be harmonised with effective immigration controls. It is also considering responses to the recent consultation paper on a proposed UK Action Plan on trafficking in humans

Human Trafficking

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of trafficking of children aged under 10 years into the UK have been recorded in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Information related to the number of incidents of trafficked children into the UK, under the age of 10 years, in each of the past five years is not available. As yet there is no centrally collated data on the numbers of trafficked victims into the country.

Human Trafficking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested for human trafficking offences since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The crime of trafficking in human beings was put on the statute book by this Government by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003, and the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004. The following figures cover the period since the introduction of the relevant Acts. There were 102 arrests for human trafficking offences under Reflex funded operations in the year 2004-05. The figures for arrests under Reflex funded operations in the period 2005-06 are not yet available. However, the recent Operation Pentameter led to 232 arrests of people for trafficking or trafficking related offences.

Identity Fraud

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of whether the risk of identity fraud to the general public has changed since July 2005.

Joan Ryan: The Home Office works with the police and law enforcement agencies, including the Serious Organised Crime Agency, other Government Departments and the private sector to consider intelligence, information, surveys, and statistics which provide an indication of the scale of the problem of identity fraud. Evidence from CIFAS—The UK's Fraud Prevention Service and our updated estimate of the cost of identity fraud to the UK economy, suggest that the problem has grown in recent years, but data covering the timeframe of this question is not yet available.

Identity Fraud

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1116W, to the right hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Dr. Strang), on identity fraud, what assessment he has had made of the reasons for the fall in the number of detected fraudulent passport applications made using a deceased person's details.

Joan Ryan: In the view of the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) there are two principal factors for the reduction in the number of recorded cases of passport applications made in the identities of deceased persons detected. The figures for the number of passport applications detected in which a deceased identity has been used are a combination of infant and adult death cases. The IPS received the infant death data from July 2001 in a number of tranches. Retrospective checks of the index of passports issued using this data identified a number of passports issued in the identities of deceased children. These retrospective checks significantly increased the number of cases of deceased identity fraud detected and confirmed between 2001 and 2004. Since then the rate of detection is based on the number of new fraudulent applications being detected. Secondly, since IPS started using this data 184 people have been arrested for making fraudulent passport applications. 82 of these people have been convicted of offences and 34 deported. Although deterrence is very difficult to measure, it is likely that this success has deterred other criminals from submitting applications in the identities of deceased persons.

Identity Fraud

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with EU governments on co-operation on identity fraud.

Joan Ryan: The Government are concerned about identity fraud and there is ongoing activity within the ED and the G8 about security of travel documents and borders that will contribute to combating the problem. This includes the work at EU level on enhancing the security of travel and identity documents, such as ePassports (also known as biometric passports) that we began issuing in March 2006. The use of biometric information to link a person to a passport helps to detect counterfeit or manipulated documents and it confirms the identity of the individual.
	The G8 Lyon-Roma group has undertaken a number of projects aimed at reducing document abuse. This included a commitment, which has been implemented, to submit data on lost and stolen passports to Interpol. A best practices paper on processing travellers who present lost, stolen or cancelled travel documents has also been approved and transmitted to the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Illegal Money Lending

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) charged with and  (b) convicted of illegal money lending in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Data for the number of people charged for illegal money lending is not held centrally.
	Data from the courts proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that the number of people convicted under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 Section 39 in 2000 was six, in 2001 was seven, in 2002 was three, in 2003 was two, and in 2004 was four.
	Court proceedings data for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.

Illegal Money Lending

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) charged with and  (b) convicted of illegal money lending in Suffolk in each of the past five years.

Tony McNulty: Data for the number of people charged for illegal money lending is not held centrally.
	Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that there were no convictions under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 Section 39 in the Suffolk police force area between 2000 and 2004. However, in England and Wales in 2000 there were six convictions, in 2001 there were seven, in 2002 there were three, in 2003 there were two, and in 2004 there were four.
	Court proceedings data for 2005 will be available in autumn of 2006.

Imams and Mosques Advisory Council

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made with proposals to set up a national advisory council of imams and mosques.

Meg Munn: holding answer 18 May 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) was set up with the aim of providing central guidance and support to Mosques and Imams in the UK. This new body is intended to represent all Muslim traditions and schools of thought.
	The first stage of creating MINAB was a national consultation, led by Lord Ahmed, which sought views on issues such as the accreditation of Imams, better governance of mosques and interfaith activity. The next stage, the actual setting up of MINAB, has been led by a steering group comprising of representatives from the British Muslim Forum, Muslim Council of Britain, Muslim Association of Britain and the Al-Khoei Foundation.
	A press conference was held on 27 June which launched MINAB and set out its implementation strategy to deliver it as a working entity. At this press conference, the Advisory Board launched a good practice guide which sets out principles and procedures Mosques and Imams should follow to effectively lead their communities.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff work at the immigration and nationality directorate's work-in-progress hold.

Liam Byrne: IND's work-in-progress hold at Beddinton Cross near Croydon, is a storage facility, and is staffed by 28 Home Office staff and 69 contractor staff.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Best Practice recommendation made on page 58 of the Review of Resourcing and Management of Immigration Enforcement Final Report 2004, what improvements his Department has made to Immigration and Nationality Directorate data collection.

Liam Byrne: Since the publication of the Review of Resourcing and Management of Immigration Enforcement Final Report in September 2004 the Enforcement and Removals Directorate has implemented several changes, including:
	Improving data quality on our main management information databases by 11 per cent.
	Reducing the number of locally created and held databases. Where appropriate incorporating their functionality in to the main Immigration Nationality Directorate central Case Information Database (CID).

Information Technology

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether  (a) his Department,  (b) MI5 and  (c) the Metropolitan Police (i) uses and (ii) has used (A) TeraText and (B) Latent Semantic Indexing programmes.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 24 July 2006
	MI5 neither confirm nor deny their use of TeraText and Latent Semantic Indexing programmes. The Metropolitan Police does not use either of these programmes. Home Office Corporate Services report that they use Latent Semantic Indexing in Meridio as part of the Electronic Document Record Management Project. None of the other constituent parts of the Home Office use either of these programmes.

Information Technology

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Nomis, Visor, CRAMS and OASys IT systems are compatible.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The C-NOMIS, CRAMS, VISOR and OASys IT systems are compatible from business, user and technical perspectives. They provide complementary support for the management of offenders now and for the future. C-NOMIS is planned to replace the CRAMS case management system (which dates back to the mid-1990s) and is needed to support end-to-end offender management. Data is shared electronically between some of these systems already. Data sharing is planned to be extended as part of the development of C-NOMIS. All these systems operate according to the requirements of GSI, the government secure intranet, which provides common standards for infrastructure and security.

Internet Child Safety

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will move the information on his Department's website on internet child safety away from the section marked 'police' into a section where it can easily be found by those seeking information.

Tony McNulty: The main Home Office website for the public—www.homeoffice.gov.uk—was redeveloped in October 2005. The information published on it follows a design and navigational structure that was heavily tested on actual public users of the website, who helped dictate its user-friendly structure. Indeed the main Home Office website was recognised in a recent independent report published by Precedent Communications as being the best of the 32 UK public sector websites they assessed.
	The main information on child protection on the internet is held in the 'police' area of the site as most of it is aimed at practitioners. But, in addition to this the information aimed at the general public is cross referred on the main site. Under the top-level navigational title 'Crime & victims', there is a section that describes what government is doing to reduce crime (which has a page dedicated specifically to internet crime) and another section that describes what members of the public can do to prevent crime (which in turn has a page on how to stay safe online).
	In both of these cases there is a wealth of useful information about how to keep children safe online, as well as a link under 'Related Documents' to a document called 'Guidance on how to search safely'.
	Also using terms such as 'child protection' or 'internet safety' in the Home Office site search will readily find this key information.
	In addition about 70 per cent. of traffic to most websites comes from Google and other search engines, so someone interested in child safety online is very likely to type a set of keywords to find what they are looking for. If that person is very distinctly interested in the guidance issued by the Home Office on child safety online, and typed 'internet child safety, Home Office' into Google, the ThinkUKnow website and the Home Office Child Protection pages on the police website are the first two entries delivered.

Kashmir

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the amount of money leaving the UK to fund terrorist groups in Kashmir, with particular reference to the activities of Lashkar-e-Taiba; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Government do not comment on specific intelligence and security matters, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were proscribed in 2001 and are one of a number of organisations whose activities are routinely monitored by the Security Service and law enforcement agencies.

Knives

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of illegal knives in circulation after the knife amnesty; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: There are no reliable estimates for the number of knives or offensive weapons in circulation. Knives have many legitimate purposes and, with a few exceptions, can be purchased legally. It is an offence to carry an article with a blade or point in public place without good reason.

Knives

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the number of illegal knives in circulation.

Tony McNulty: We held a nationwide knife amnesty from 24 May to the end of June during which just under 90,000 items were surrendered to police forces in England and Wales. Following the amnesty, many forces are focusing on enforcement operations, targeting those who carry knives without good reason. Operation Shield run by the British Transport Police, continues to operate at mainline and underground stations using search technology to detect people carrying weapons on the transport network. Police, in conjunction with Trading Standards officers, have also carried out test purchase operations to identify retailers who are not abiding by the law and selling knives to young people under 16.
	In addition, we are tightening legislation through the Violent Crime Reduction Bill, with new powers for Head Teachers to search pupils for knives, a new offence of using someone to mind a weapon and an increase in the age at which someone can be sold a knife from 16 to 18. We have also announced that we will increase the maximum sentence for carrying a knife in a public place without good reason from two to four years.
	We are also supporting organisations such as Be Safe, which provide in-school training to young people on the dangers of carrying knives. Through our Connected Fund, we support small community-based organisations working on gun crime, knife crime and gangs issues. The fund is currently running its fifth round, with a closing date for bids of 4 August 2006.

Laptop Document Theft

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many documents on laptops within the possession of  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials have been stolen since 1997.

Liam Byrne: It is not possible to determine how many documents may have been taken from Home Office laptop computers reported as stolen or lost since 1997, but none of these were in the possession of Home Office ministers.
	To minimise the risk of document theft, laptop computers containing sensitive Home Office material are encrypted in accordance with UK government security requirements.

Male Rape

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for the non-consensual sexual penetration of a male in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants convicted at all courts for offences relating to non-consensual sexual penetration of a male, in England and Wales, for 2001 to 2004 are contained in the following table. 2004 data shows the inclusion of a new list of offences brought under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into effect on 1 May 2004. 2000 data is not being provided as prior to the implementation of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 which commenced on 8 January 2001, the offence of buggery (under s.12 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 as subsequently amended) would have included instances of consensual as well as non-consensual acts. Statistics for 2005 court proceedings will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of defendants convicted at all courts for offences relating to non consensual sexual penetration of a male in England and Wales, 2001 to 2004( 1,2) 
			   Years( 3) 
			  Offence description  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Buggery or attempted buggery by a male of a male. Assault on a male by penetration. Rape of a male aged under 16(4) 120 94 78 95 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete.However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken (to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.(3,4) Data for 2001 to 2003 includes offences from the following principal statutes:Sexual Offences Act 1956 (amended by the following amendments: Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, and the Sexual Offences Act 2000), and Sexual Offences Act 2003.Data for 2004 includes a list of new offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Source:RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discounts are available in relation to hotel accommodation used by  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department.

Liam Byrne: There is no single percentage discount figure available on hotel bookings. The Home Office, through its appointed contractor, negotiates rates for individual hotels or hotel chains subject to city location. All hotels offer their standard rate (the rack rate) which will then be discounted either to a Government rate available to all individuals carrying work on behalf of the Home Office or other public sector bodies or, subject to there being sufficient volume room usage, special rates for individual departments. Generally the Home Office achieve savings on average of 30 per cent. on standard rates.

Narcotics Production

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his letter to the hon. Member for Cambridgeshire South East dated 10 July 2006 on Home Office interpretation of the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, whether the UK would continue to be self-sufficient in narcotics production were manufacturers of oxycodone hydrochloride formulations to relocate production to another EU country; how loss of self-sufficiency would effect  (a) jobs,  (b) the balance of payments and  (c) continuity of supply of opiate-based analgesics within the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: It is not possible accurately to predict the development of the pharmaceutical narcotics industry in the UK in relation to oxycodone. There are many variables which would determine the future situation. These include, for example, the choice of territory, obtaining approvals from governments abroad, the development of a production facility and downstream marketing arrangements.

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals are employed by  (a) the National Offender Management Service and  (b) each regional offender manager.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Offender Management Service consists of National Offender Management Service (NOMS) HQ, Her Majesty's Prison Service and the National Probation Service.
	NOMS HQ employs 1,375.7 full time equivalents.
	Her Majesty's Prison Service employs 47,637 full time equivalents.
	The National Probation Service employs 21,061.4 full time equivalents.
	The NOMS HQ total includes the staff of the Regional Offender Managers. Broken down by region, the totals for each office are:
	
		
			   Number 
			 East Midlands 19 
			 North East 9 
			 South East 11 
			 Wales 13 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 8 
			 London 9 
			 North West 9 
			 South West 9 
			 West Midlands 7 
			 Central support 2

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether legislation is required to allow regional offender managers to contest probation work.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Currently, the statutory duty to make arrangements for the provision of probation services rests exclusively with the local probation board. Legislation is needed to enable regional offender managers to commission services directly from providers other than the board.

National Offender Management Service

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which IT systems  (a) are used and  (b) are planned to be used for the National Probation Service.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The following national IT systems are currently used:
	1. Case Management—CRAMS, DELIUS, ICMS, IOSS, CATO;
	2. Offender Assessment—OASys;
	3. Accredited Programs—IAPS;
	4. Email—Lotus Notes Mail;
	5. Intranet—EPIC;
	6. Resource Planning—WMT;
	7. Violent and Serious Offender Register—VISOR; and
	8. Crown Courts Links—EXHIBIT.
	 (b) For the foreseeable the above systems are planned to continue in use subject to the following exceptions.
	1. Case Management—C-NOMIS will replace items one and three above to support end-to-end offender management;
	2. Offender Assessment—A replacement OASys system is planned to integrate with C-NOMIS; and
	3. Magistrates Courts Links—use of LIBRA is planned.

Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) arrested for,  (b) charged with and  (c) convicted of an offence under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

John Reid: The information requested on arrests is not available within my Department. Information on arrests held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is based on persons arrested for recorded crime "notifiable offences" by main offence group (i.e. sexual offences, theft and handling stolen goods, violence against the person, burglary etc.) only.
	The Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform does not hold information with regard to charging. The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 only came into force during 2006, so data prior to this year is not applicable. Convictions data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.

Network of Buddhist Organisations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Department's list of organisations consulted on religious issues, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Network of Buddhist Organisations is representative of that faith's adherents; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office has made no such assessment. The Network of Buddhist Organisations is one of the Buddhist organisations that the Home Office consults with.

Non-emergency Telephone Numbers

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the trial of the 101 non-emergency telephone number in Cardiff; and whether he plans to implement the scheme throughout England and Wales.

Tony McNulty: An evaluation of the introduction in Cardiff on 2 June 2006 of the single non-emergency number, 101, as well as ongoing performance and quality monitoring, are currently underway. Information from these assessments and from four other first wave areas will inform the strategy for future implementation.

Off-licence Alcohol Sales

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for off-licence alcohol sales to people  (a) already under the influence of alcohol and  (b) under the age of 18 years in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by region; and if he will make a statement

Vernon Coaker: It is not possible to identify the number of prosecutions there have been for off-licence alcohol sales to people already under the influence of alcohol or under the age of 18 as the data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform does not identify those offences that have taken place in an off licence. However, data for the number of defendants prosecuted for certain offences relating to alcohol can be found in the following table.
	Penalty Notices for Disorder have been available to the police for the offences of the sale of alcohol  (a) to a drunken person and  (b) to a person under the age of 18 since 1 November 2004, although data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform does not identify those offences that have taken place in an off licence. The following table shows 2004 PND data for  (a) selling alcohol to a person under 18, however there were no PND's issued for  (b) Sale of alcohol to a drunken person in 2004. The table also shows provisional 2005 PND data for both  (a) and  (b).
	
		
			  Penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued by police force area and offence, all ages, 2004 
			  Police force  Selling alcohol to person under 18 
			  England  
			   
			 Avon and Somerset — 
			 Bedfordshire — 
			 Cambridgeshire — 
			 Cheshire — 
			 Cleveland — 
			 Cumbria — 
			 Derbyshire — 
			 Devon and Cornwall — 
			 Dorset 22 
			 Durham — 
			 Essex 7 
			 Gloucestershire — 
			 Greater Manchester — 
			 Hampshire 2 
			 Hertfordshire — 
			 Humberside 2 
			 Kent — 
			 Lancashire 30 
			 Leicestershire 2 
			 Lincolnshire — 
			 London, City of — 
			 Merseyside 2 
			 Metropolitan 21 
			 Norfolk — 
			 North Yorkshire — 
			 Northamptonshire 1 
			 Northumbria 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 9 
			 South Yorkshire 2 
			 Staffordshire — 
			 Suffolk — 
			 Surrey — 
			 Sussex — 
			 Thames Valley — 
			 Warwickshire — 
			 West Mercia 1 
			 West Midlands 6 
			 West Yorkshire 4 
			 Wiltshire — 
			   
			  Wales  
			 Dyfed-Powys — 
			 Gwent — 
			  North Wales 1 
			 South Wales — 
			 Total 113 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of penalty notices for disorder issued in 2005, for which outcomes data has been reported (provisional data) by offence and police force area 
			  Police force area  DA07—Sale of alcohol to under 18 (now DA18)  DA16—Sale of alcohol to drunken person 
			 Avon and Somerset 53 — 
			 Bedfordshire 2 — 
			 Cambridgeshire 11 — 
			 Cheshire 49 — 
			 Cleveland 33 1 
			 Cumbria 23 — 
			 Derbyshire 8 — 
			 Devon and Cornwall 82 1 
			 Dorset 20 — 
			 Durham 0 — 
			 Essex 117 — 
			 Gloucestershire 39 — 
			 Greater Manchester 125 — 
			 Hampshire 65 1 
			 Hertfordshire 3 — 
			 Humberside 45 — 
			 Kent 10 2 
			 Lancashire 178 4 
			 Leicestershire 38 4 
			 Lincolnshire 26 1 
			 London, City of 0 — 
			 Merseyside 71 — 
			 Metropolitan 160 3 
			 Norfolk 0 — 
			 North Yorkshire 0 — 
			 Northamptonshire 39 — 
			 Northumbria 47 — 
			 Nottinghamshire 116 — 
			 South Yorkshire 107 1 
			 Staffordshire 19 — 
			 Suffolk 15 — 
			 Surrey 0 — 
			 Sussex 62 7 
			 Thames Valley 12 — 
			 Warwickshire 3 — 
			 West Mercia 21 2 
			 West Midlands 113 — 
			 West Yorkshire 72 1 
			 Wiltshire 8 — 
			
			 Dyfed Powys 18 — 
			 Gwent 20 — 
			 North Wales 56 — 
			 South Wales 123 — 
			
			  England and Wales 2,009 28 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates courts for certain offences relating to the sale of alcohol, by region( 1) , England and Wales 2004 
			  Statute  Offence description  Region  Prosecuted 
			 Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 Schedule (Sec 3) para 6. Licensing Act 1964 Sec 172. Holder of permission not to allow drunkenness etc. Permitting drunkenness or riotous conduct on the premises or selling liquor to a drunken person. North East 1 
			   North West 3 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside 1 
			   East Midlands (3)— 
			   West Midlands 2 
			   East of England (3)— 
			   London 2 
			   South East 4 
			   South West (3)— 
			   Wales (3)— 
			 
			England and Wales 13 
			 
			 Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 Schedule (Sec 3) para 4(1). Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169(1). Holder of occasional permission or his agent knowingly selling to, knowingly allow consumption by or allowing any person to sell, intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. Selling etc intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises.(2) North East 63 
			   North West 227 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside 59 
			   East Midands 36 
			   West Midlands 80 
			   East of England 28 
			   London 162 
			   South East 66 
			   South West 33 
			   Wales 82 
			 
			England and Wales 836 
			 
			 Licensing Act 1964 Sec 181 A(1) as added by Licensing Act 1988 Sec 17. Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. North East (3)— 
			   North West 1 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside (3)— 
			   East Midands (3)— 
			   West Midlands 1 
			   East of England 3 
			   London (3)— 
			   South East (3)— 
			   South West (3)— 
			   Wales (3)— 
			 
			England and Wales 5 
			 
			 Licensing Act 2003 S.141 Sale of alcohol to a person who is drunk. North East (3)— 
			   North West (3)— 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside (3)— 
			   East Midands (3)— 
			   West Midlands (3)— 
			   East of England (3)— 
			   London (3)— 
			   South East (3)— 
			   South West (3)— 
			   Wales (3)— 
			 
			England and Wales 0 
			 
			 Licensing Act 2003 S.146 Sale of alcohol to person under 18. North East (3)— 
			   North West 14 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside (3)— 
			   East Midands (3)— 
			   West Midlands (3)— 
			   East of England (3)— 
			   London 5 
			   South East (3)— 
			   South West (3)— 
			   Wales 1 
			 
			England and Wales 20 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2 )Includes "Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18" (3 )Nil

Parenting Orders

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parenting orders have been issued in Easington constituency; and how many have been breached in the last two years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Youth offending teams (YOTs) report to the Youth Justice Board the number of parenting orders related youth offending or antisocial behaviour broken down by YOT area. 36 parenting orders were made in County Durham YOT area during the year April 2004 to March 2005 and 15 during April 2005 to March 2006, which is the latest available data.
	The Department for Education and Skills has collected data on parenting orders in cases of non-attendance and exclusion from school since September 2004. This data is collected at local authority level. For the Durham local authority area, in which the Easington constituency lies, no parenting orders were reported between September 2004 and 31 December 2005, which is the latest period for which data is available.
	The data reported to the Home Office on breaches of parenting orders have not been given because their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile such figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. We have started a programme of work in the Home Office looking at the quality of existing data on court sentencing and how this might be improved.

Parenting Orders

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parenting orders have been made in each year since they were introduced, and how many have been breached in each year, broken down by local authority area.

Tony McNulty: Parenting orders were piloted between 30 September 1998 and 31 March 2000, during which period 284 parenting orders were made but data showing the breakdown by area are not available. Parenting orders were commenced in England and Wales in June 2000.
	The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has since 2000 collected the number of parenting orders by youth offending team area, as reported to it by youth offending teams including education-related orders where the YOT has been involved. A copy of a table showing the numbers of parenting orders related to youth offending or other civil orders and those related to non attendance of children at school which were made between 2000 and March 2004, has been placed in the House Libraries (Table A). The YJB is currently reviewing the numbers of parenting orders for the period 2004-05 and 2005-06. I will write to the hon. Member when the reviewed figures are available.
	Since September 2004, the Department for Education and Skills has collected data on the number of parenting orders in England related to non attendance of children at school and exclusion from school at local authority level. Between 1 September 2004 and 31 December 2005 local authorities in England did not report any applications to the courts for parenting orders in the case of exclusions. A copy of the table showing the numbers of parenting orders made following truancy prosecution between 1 September 2004 and 31 December 2005 has been placed in the House Libraries (Table B). Data for the period 1 January 2006 to 21 April 2006 will be available in September. The Welsh Assembly Government do not collect numbers of parenting orders for truancy or exclusion in Wales.
	The figures reported to the Home Office on breaches of parenting orders have not been given because their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile such figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. RDS have started a programme of work in the Home Office looking at the quality of existing data on court sentencing and how this might be improved.

Passports

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2006,  Official Report, column 514W, on passports, whether he plans to make UK passport facilities available to people in the Irish Republic on the same basis as Irish Passport applicants have in Northern Ireland.

Joan Ryan: I have no plans to change the current arrangements whereby British citizens can obtain UK passports from the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) only while present in the UK. British citizens resident in the Irish Republic are welcome to make appointments to apply in person at any IPS office, including Belfast, when present in the UK. The services available in this way are the same day premium service or the one week fast track service. Applications by post from British citizens resident in the Irish Republic must be made to the British embassy in Dublin.

Penalties and Warrants (Enforcement)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average time taken was for enforcement of  (a) community penalties and  (b) warrants, as referred to in the Home Office Departmental Report 2006 in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows.
	 (a) The Home Office Departmental Report 2006 refers to the average time taken from failure to comply with a community penalty to resolution of the case, measured in working days. Data on this has only been centrally collected since October 2005, so it is not possible to provide data for the last five years. In March 2006 (the date referred to in the Home Office Departmental Report 2006), the average time taken was 43 days. This is a new data collection and some early problems are still being resolved.
	 (b) Data on the average time taken to enforce warrants is not held centrally.

Penalty Notices

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) fixed penalty notices and  (b) penalty notices have been issued in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: Penalty notices for disorder (PND) were piloted in four police forces for 12 months from August 2002 being rolled out to all police forces in England and Wales during 2003-4 financial year, under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. . Further information on the Penalty Notices for Disorder scheme and information on where data from the pilot can be obtained can be accessed via the following website:
	linkhttp://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/rdsolr3505.pdf
	Data from the PND database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that, in 2004, there were 63,639 Penalty Notices for Disorder issued and provisional data for 2005 shows there were 142,625 Penalty Notices for Disorder issued in that year. Provisional data for 2006 will be available when 2005 data has been published.
	The Office for Criminal Justice Reform also collects information that identifies the number of motoring offences fixed penalty notices issued.
	Available information on motoring offences fixed penalty notices issued can be found within the Home Office publication, 'Offences relating to motor vehicles England and Wales, Supplementary tables' (latest available, 2004). Copies are available in the Library and can also be accessed on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics (RDS) website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm
	2005 data will be available early in 2007.
	Under the Road Traffic Act 1991, Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) powers allow local authorities to take over responsibility for enforcing parking contraventions from the police. 2003 and 2004 data on penalty charge notices (PCNs) from individual local authorities operating Decriminalised Parking Enforcement can also be found in the above mentioned publication.

Police

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers  (a) per 1,000 population and  (b) per square mile have been employed in (i) rural and (ii) non-rural areas in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The number of police officers is collected per 100,000 population. The available information is given in the table.
	Data regarding the number of police officers per square mile, and in rural and non-rural areas is not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Number of police officers (fte)( 1)  per 100,000 population( 2) , by police force (1997-2006)( 3) 
			   As at 31 March 
			  Police force area  1997( 4)  1998  1999  2000  2001( 5)  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 204 203 203 197 197 205 213 229 225 226 
			 Bedfordshire 200 197 189 185 184 189 198 210 215 213 
			 Cambridgeshire 188 184 179 172 179 187 196 197 194 196 
			 Cheshire 209 208 211 204 204 209 217 224 223 223 
			 Cleveland 261 266 255 252 253 263 294 314 305 308 
			 Cumbria 233 237 229 220 213 224 237 254 257 256 
			 Derbyshire 187 184 182 183 187 189 210 216 213 212 
			 Devon and Cornwall 186 192 186 182 187 192 204 208 212 219 
			 Dorset 189 192 186 189 196 198 205 209 211 216 
			 Durham 240 249 258 256 263 266 281 288 293 288 
			 Essex 197 193 190 183 178 181 186 192 198 203 
			 Gloucestershire 205 198 197 200 209 209 219 229 230 228 
			 Greater Manchester 268 270 265 264 268 279 298 323 321 318 
			 Hampshire 198 199 197 193 193 195 208 211 212 211 
			 Hertfordshire 205 202 198 201 184 174 191 204 206 208 
			 Humberside 230 228 223 219 217 234 244 256 255 251 
			 Kent 210 209 204 203 209 210 221 228 227 227 
			 Lancashire 228 229 228 223 228 231 239 252 251 253 
			 Leicestershire 211 214 215 215 218 224 232 246 246 241 
			 Lincolnshire 196 193 184 179 191 189 191 189 185 183 
			 London, City of(2) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Merseyside 296 297 298 290 291 294 302 303 318 315 
			 Metropolitan police (2) 367 356 352 341 351 366 404 420 433 417 
			 Norfolk 185 184 176 175 178 183 189 190 192 193 
			 Northamptonshire 196 193 186 181 186 194 194 198 201 207 
			 Northumbria 256 263 269 266 272 278 290 294 294 291 
			 North Yorkshire 183 186 181 173 175 188 193 203 206 216 
			 Nottinghamshire 225 225 216 214 214 226 239 245 245 243 
			 South Yorkshire 242 244 243 243 245 246 252 261 260 259 
			 Staffordshire 209 217 211 204 201 201 212 218 220 219 
			 Suffolk 180 179 179 171 168 177 188 196 195 191 
			 Surrey 209 207 212 227 192 184 182 183 184 184 
			 Sussex 211 203 191 188 188 190 203 206 205 207 
			 Thames Valley 180 183 180 178 175 177 186 195 198 202 
			 Warwickshire 186 185 180 178 182 190 198 197 195 198 
			 West Mercia 183 180 180 166 171 176 196 202 203 202 
			 West Midlands 270 271 278 274 283 293 307 311 316 318 
			 West Yorkshire 247 244 236 228 228 230 242 254 271 270 
			 Wiltshire 195 195 192 185 184 189 190 198 198 196 
			 Dyfed Powys 212 210 215 217 219 234 237 236 237 237 
			 Gwent 275 222 224 227 229 239 244 248 259 264 
			 North Wales 208 213 212 213 220 228 234 243 250 242 
			 South Wales 223 242 241 236 250 259 273 275 273 271 
			 Total 43 Forces 241 240 237 233 234 240 254 264 267 267 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding there may be a discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.  (2) Officers per 100,000 population for City of London and Metropolitan police are combined.  (3) Between the years 1997 to 2002 the figures used to calculate the number of officers per 100,000 population excluded those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. From 2003 onwards the figures for police officers include those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.  (4) Boundary changes on 1 April 1996 transferred resources from the policing of the Rhmney Valley from South Wales police to Gwent police.  (5) Boundary changes on 1 April 2000 transferred some resources from the Metropolitan police to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey police forces.

Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were involved in road accidents while  (a) on duty and  (b) off-duty in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by force; and how many accidents involved (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injury.

Tony McNulty: The available information is given in the table, a copy of which I will place in the House Library.
	The information provided is based on the number of road traffic collisions on public roads involving police vehicles. Information is not collected centrally on the numbers of on- or off-duty police officers involved in accidents.
	The figures provided in response to this question are based on data collected by the Department on behalf of HMIC. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) annually publish statistics on deaths during or following police contact. However this data uses a much wider definition of road traffic collisions than that collected by HMIC.

Police

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in Brent in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) sex and  (b) ethnicity.

Tony McNulty: At 31 March 2003 there were 619 full-time equivalent police officers in Brent, 683 at 31 March 2004 and 679 at 31 March 2005. Corresponding information for 31 March 2006 will be published later in the year.
	Data about the numbers of police officers in each Basic Command Unit (BCU) has only been collected since 2002 and these figures cannot be broken down any further by sex or ethnicity.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the new generation Airwave radios; which police forces are using them; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Airwave provides modern, integrated, secure and efficient radiocommunications for the police service.
	The Airwave service had to pass a rigorous series of tests before being accepted by a force as being ready for service.
	The Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) continually evaluates the performance of Airwave through a national service support structure, managing any arising issues jointly with the service provider, O2 Airwave.
	Police communications at special events, such as the G8 summit at Gleneagles in 2005, has been facilitated by the adoption of a common technology and since the service first started rolling out in 2001 new features such GPS location sensing and direct access to the police national computer have become available to benefit the safety and effectiveness of individual police officers. The use of Airwave radios has meant improved coverage and clarity compared to the old analogue radios.
	The decisions of the ambulance and fire services to move to Airwave will enhance the capabilities of all three emergency services to work together, both on a day-to-day basis and during major incidents.
	As part of its operational benefits strategy, PITO is in the process of carrying out baseline reviews using several forces in order to gauge the benefits that Airwave has brought to police users.
	Currently over 160,000 police officers are using Airwave and 50 forces have fully migrated to the new service. The remaining forces, the Metropolitan police and North Wales, are in the process of migration and will have fully migrated by the summer of 2007.

Police

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children in contravention of their curfew notices have been removed to their place of residence by  (a) community support officers and  (b) police officers under paragraph 4B of Schedule 4 to the Police Reform Act 2002 in each of the last four years, broken down by police authority.

John Reid: No curfew notices have been issued under this power as no local child curfew scheme has been established. However other powers have been introduced and used. My answer on 5 December 2005,  Official Report, column 968W explained that section 30 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 provides the police with a power to disperse groups and remove under-16s to their place of residence, within designated areas. The Act also inserted paragraph 4A into Schedule 4 to the Police Reform Act 2002 to allow designated community support officers to use these powers. These powers came into force on 20 January 2004. From a Home Office data collection exercise, we estimated that 809 areas were designated between January 2004 and June 2005. Police officers and community support officer dispersed 14,375 people from the 293 areas where data was available. They also removed 520 young people under 16 to their place of residence from 236 areas where data was available. We do not hold the information on whether these powers were exercised by police officers or community support officers.

Police

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations have closed in  (a) non-rural and  (b) rural areas in each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Details of police station openings and closures, where provided by the forces, have been as in the table.
	
		
			  Police Stations Opened or Closed since 1996-97 
			   English Shire Authorities  English Metropolitan Authorities  London Authorities  Welsh Authorities 
			  1996-97 
			 Opened 15 0 n/a 4 
			 Closed -39 -3 n/a -22 
			  
			  1997-98 
			 Opened 15 3 n/a 5 
			 Closed -50 -10 n/a -3 
			  
			  1998-99 
			 Opened 30 0 n/a 5 
			 Closed -49 -9 n/a -5 
			  
			  1999-2000 
			 Opened 13 0 n/a 1 
			 Closed -84 -8 n/a -17 
			  2000-01 
			 Opened 27 5 n/a 1 
			 Closed -43 -9 n/a -13 
			  
			  2001-02 
			 Opened 24 6 n/a 6 
			 Closed -26 -9 n/a -5 
			  
			  2002-03 
			 Opened 27 2 0 6 
			 Closed -25 -5 -2 -13 
			  
			  2003-04 
			 Opened 24 5 3 4 
			 Closed -29 -10 -3 -2 
			  
			  2004-05 
			 Opened 44 15 0 3 
			 Closed -39 -18 -1 -2 
			  Notes:  1. Reliable data unavailable before 1996-97.  2. Returns are available from all forces only from 2003-04. Data relate to returns actually received.   Source:  Police forces in England and Wales.

Police

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations there were per 1,000 population in  (a) non-rural and  (b) rural areas in each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information, where details of police stations have been provided by forces, is given in the table.
	
		
			  Police Stations Per 1,000 Population 
			   English Shire Authorities  English Metropolitan Authorities  London Authorities  All English Authorities  Welsh Authorities 
			 1996-97 0.041 0.042 n/a 0.041 0.108 
			 1997-98 0.039 0.041 n/a 0.039 0.107 
			 1998-99 0.038 0.039 n/a 0.038 0.105 
			 1999-2000 0.036 0.031 n/a 0.035 0.097 
			 2000-01 0.035 0.031 n/a 0.034 0.093 
			 2001-02 0.035 0.030 0.020 0.032 0.093 
			 2002-03 0.035 0.028 0.019 0.031 0.090 
			 2003-04 0.034 0.027 0.019 0.031 0.090 
			 2004-05 0.035 0.027 0.018 0.030 0.090 
			  Notes: 1. Population figures for 2005 have not yet been published. 2004 population figures are used for 2004-05.2. Population figures are based on force boundaries in 2004.3. Between 1996-97 and 1998-99 there were returns from three of the six English Metropolitan Authorities (Greater Manchester, Merseyside and South Yorkshire).Between 1999-2000 and 2001-02 there were returns from five English Metropolitan Authorities (Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Northumbria, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire).4. Returns were only available from all authorities from 2002-03. Source:Population figures—Office of National Statistics.

Police

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) violent crimes and  (b) crimes there were in (i) North Yorkshire and (ii) City of York in each of the last 20 years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is given in the following tables. York is a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area and data at CDRP level has only been collected centrally since 1999-2000. Since 1986, there have been two major changes to the way in which crime is recorded. The effect of the extended coverage and the change in counting rules in 1998 was to artificially increase recorded violent crime nationally by more than 80 per cent. while it is estimated that the effect of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002 caused a further 20 per cent. increase in recorded violent crime in its first year.
	
		
			  Table 1: Recorded crime in North Yorkshire—1986-97 
			   Number of offences 
			   Total crime  Violent crime 
			 1986 35,968 1,542 
			 1987 37,494 1,713 
			 1988 34,686 1,858 
			 1989 35,774 2,114 
			 1990 46,252 2,403 
			 1991 51,471 2,479 
			 1992 54,816 2,276 
			 1993 57,967 2,382 
			 1994 62,153 2,532 
			 1995 63,539 2,547 
			 1996 56,919 2,821 
			 1997 50,252 2,885 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Recorded crime in North Yorkshire—1998-99—2001-02 
			   Number of offences 
			   Total crime  Violent crime 
			 1998-99 55,309 5,294 
			 1999-2000 53,554 5,607 
			 2000-01 51,551 5,373 
			 2001-02 59,125 6,261 
			  Note:  Expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules came into effect on 1 April 1998. The figures in this table are therefore not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Recorded crime in North Yorkshire—2002-03—2005-06 
			   Number of offences 
			   Total crime  Violent crime 
			 2002-03 67,239 8,912 
			 2003-04 71,473 10,507 
			 2004-05 61,864 12,960 
			 2005-06 59,069 12,369 
			  Note:  The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Recorded crime in the York Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area—1999-2000—2005-06 
			   Number of offences 
			   Total crime  Violent crime 
			 1999-2000 n/a 1,812 
			 2000-01 19,291 1,633 
			 2001-02 22,890 1,889 
			 2002-03 25,630 2,878 
			 2003-04 29,347 3,812 
			 2004-05 23,164 4,350 
			 2005-06 22,846 4,112 
			 n/a = not available.   Note:  The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Preventing Extremism Working Groups

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of the recommendations of the "Preventing Extremism Together" working groups set up in response to the London bombings in July 2005 have been implemented; and what proportion this represents of the number of recommendations.

Meg Munn: holding answer 19 May 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	Responsibility for leading on this area of work is now with the Department for Communities and Local Government. On 17 July 2006, the Department published on its website details of progress made on the recommendations from the Preventing Extremism Together working groups. Further details can be found at:
	http://raceandfaith.communities.gov.uk/raceandfaith/faith/faith-communities/?version=1

Prison Governors

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the confidence of prison service staff in governing governors at each prison establishment; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The 2005 Prison Service staff survey did not contain a specific question of the confidence in governing governors. However, the percentage of respondents who agreed that their senior management team provides effective leadership in each establishment is provided as follows.
	
		
			  Extract from the public sector Prison Service in England and Wales 2006 staff survey showing the percentage of respondents who agree that senior management provide effective leadership 
			  Establishment polled  Number of questionnaires returned  Percentage response rate  Percentage respondents in agreement that senior management team provides effective leadership 
			 Prison Service average 18,704 39 44 
			 Acklington 111 27 24 
			 Albany 116 36 48 
			 Ashwell 144 50 39 
			 Askham Grange 46 50 48 
			 Aylesbury 176 52 47 
			 Bedford 130 51 61 
			 Belmarsh 185 21 22 
			 Birmingham 164 20 38 
			 Blakenhurst 146 31 59 
			 Blantyre House 25 34 60 
			 Blundeston 110 38 34 
			 Brinsford 160 40 46 
			 Bristol 139 30 32 
			 Brixton 149 37 45 
			 Brockhill 55 31 46 
			 Buckley Hall 107 46 35 
			 Bullingdon 145 32 45 
			 Bullwood Hall 59 34 41 
			 Camp Hill 80 28 51 
			 Canterbury 86 41 44 
			 Cardiff 189 40 48 
			 Castington 112 29 61 
			 Channings Wood 131 37 36 
			 Chelmsford 163 45 34 
			 Coldingley 70 34 43 
			 Cookham Wood 52 34 57 
			 Dartmoor 147 39 36 
			 Deerbolt 110 33 47 
			 Dorchester 96 52 64 
			 Dover 64 26 44 
			 Downview 90 38 42 
			 Drake Hall 43 22 37 
			 Durham 175 31 38 
			 East Sutton Park 33 50 39 
			 Eastwood Park 73 27 38 
			 Edmunds Hill 90 38 69 
			 Elmley 97 21 47 
			 Erlestoke 98 41 24 
			 Everthorpe 200 57 51 
			 Exeter 91 25 29 
			 Featherstone 104 33 35 
			 Feltham 193 24 54 
			 Ford 61 33 37 
			 Foston Hall 80 34 50 
			 Frankland 366 40 47 
			 Full Sutton 130 17 32 
			 Garth 205 48 50 
			 Gartree 112 31 27 
			 Glen Parva 108 21 65 
			 Gloucester 90 40 58 
			 Grendon 122 36 46 
			 Guys Marsh 153 51 45 
			 Haslar 53 41 59 
			 Haverigg 122 37 31 
			 Hewell Grange 46 46 58 
			 High Down 192 44 43 
			 Highpoint 97 23 40 
			 Hindley 152 36 44 
			 Hollesley Bay 41 33 39 
			 Holloway 322 57 57 
			 Holme House 148 28 42 
			 Hull 180 32 37 
			 Huntercombe 139 46 48 
			 Kingston 87 62 61 
			 Kirkham 122 46 61 
			 Kirklevington Grange 30 26 20 
			 Lancaster 90 51 48 
			 Lancaster Farms 157 39 34 
			 Latchmere House 40 50 33 
			 Leeds 255 39 32 
			 Leicester 89 36 48 
			 Lewes 102 33 37 
			 Leyhill 111 48 47 
			 Lincoln 167 43 26 
			 Lindholme 177 35 46 
			 Littlehey 112 35 43 
			 Liverpool 153 21 31 
			 Long Lartin 154 24 49 
			 Low Newton 50 17 42 
			 Maidstone 63 20 41 
			 Manchester 257 31 65 
			 Moorland 197 33 34 
			 Morton Hall 103 45 50 
			 New Hall 169 41 36 
			 North Sea Camp 52 36 33 
			 Northallerton 60 41 37 
			 Norwich 137 31 31 
			 Nottingham 115 28 38 
			 Onley 126 31 38 
			 Parkhurst 176 47 37 
			 Pentonville 212 32 32 
			 Portland 110 29 31 
			 Preston 144 34 45 
			 Ranby 137 24 40 
			 Reading 95 45 42 
			 Risley 170 35 37 
			 Rochester 121 41 52 
			 Send 102 62 68 
			 Shepton Mallet 46 32 39 
			 Shrewsbury 108 51 49 
			 Stafford 159 42 34 
			 Standford Hill 68 26 38 
			 Stocken 186J 59 33 
			 Stoke Heath 232 50 45 
			 Styal 93 25 37 
			 Sudbury 113 53 55 
			 Swaleside 172 42 45 
			 Swansea 154 52 34 
			 Swinfen Hall 146 34 61 
			 The Mount 87 27 55 
			 The Verne 103 36 22 
			 Thorn Cross 49 22 45 
			 Usk/Prescoed 104 42 56 
			 Wakefield 173 26 37 
			 Wandsworth 204 29 51 
			 Warren Hill 61 22 60 
			 Wayland 102 33 73 
			 Wealstun 180 43 49 
			 Weare 15 44 33 
			 Wellinborough 185 51 38 
			 Wellington 33 18 39 
			 Wetherby 133 43 48 
			 Whatton 122 43 51 
			 Whitemoor 190 25 26 
			 Winchester 177 44 44 
			 Woodhill 192 28 28 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 164 26 49 
			 Wymott 114 22 40

Prison Officers (Industrial Action)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to deal with national industrial action by prison officers; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Prison Officers' Association (POA) have signed the Joint Industrial Relations Agreement, which provides an undertaking that neither, they, nor its members will induce industrial action. If the POA breach the JIRPA, the Home Secretary may seek injunctive relief against them. If the POA give notice to terminate the agreement with no alternative arrangements being in place, the Secretary of State would ask Parliament to reintroduce statutory constraints such as existed prior to disapplication of Section 127.

Prison/Court Escort Service

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners escaped  (a) while at court and  (b) while in transit between court and prison in each of the last five years.

John Reid: Details of the number of prisoners that escaped while at court and while in transit between court and prison are set out in the table: The total number of escapes in a year has reduced by 65 per cent. between 2001-02 and 2005-06.
	
		
			   Court  In transit  Total 
			 2001-02 38 2 40 
			 2002-03 27 4 31 
			 2003-04 27 5 32 
			 2004-05 26 1 27 
			 2005-06 12 2 14

Prison/Court Escort Service

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners appearing at court arrived  (a) operationally on time and  (b) in time for the hearing in each of the last five years.

John Reid: Details of the percentage of prisoners arriving at court operationally on time are set out in the following table.
	Figures are not available on the number of prisoners arriving in time for their hearings. Current escort contracts require that contractors' report occasions when late arrival delays court business. Information from the escort contractors show that between September 2004 and March 2005, 99.97 per cent. of prisoners were available for their court appearance as scheduled. The corresponding figure for 2005-06 is 99.92 per cent.
	
		
			   Percentage of prisoners arriving on time 
			 2001-02 75 
			 2002-03 76 
			 2003-04 82 
			 2004-05(1) 85 
			 2004-05 76 
			 2005-06 82 
			 (1 )New escort contracts commenced on 29 August 2004, when the criteria for determining the timely arrival of prisoners to courts changed.

Prisons

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new prison places have been created in each year since 1997; and what the cost of new prison places was in each year.

John Reid: The following table provides information on the number of new prison places and an estimate of the capital building cost from 1997 onwards. This information includes places at new prisons as well as those provided at existing prisons by building houseblocks, Ready to Use Units (RTUs) and Modular Temporary Units (MTUs). It does not take into account any places provided by subsequent overcrowding, or places taken out of use.
	Year places available Places Capital building cost (million)*
	
		
			   Number of New Prison Places  Capital Building Cost (£ million)( 1) 
			 1997-98 4,716 278 
			 1998-99 1,222 82 
			 1999-2000 1,646 107 
			 2000-01 640 39 
			 2001-02 920 73 
			 2002-03 1,780 102 
			 2003-04 1,376 106 
			 2004-05 2,570 257 
			 2005-06 940 112 
			 (1) Actual costs, not adjusted for inflation. Costs relate to the places opened in each year.

Prisons

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking  (a) to reduce the number of absconders and  (b) to capture absconded prisoners from HMP Sudbury.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The prison completes a significant number of security information reports each month, informing its security department of any suspicious activity including risk of abscond. Security intelligence is regularly followed up and as a number of prisoners are returned to closed conditions each month.
	All absconds are reported to the police immediately. The prison has established close links with the local police and the police liaison officer visits the establishment frequently, in addition to attending the monthly security committee meeting.

Prisons

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1220W, on prisoners, what medical guidance his Department has received from health care professionals on the transportation of prisoners;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has held with medical professionals about the transportation of prisoners.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The unit responsible for Prison Health within the Department of Health was included in the consultation on the specification for new escort contracts. It is a requirement for all prisoners to have their medical needs assessed by a healthcare professional prior to transportation.
	Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary or the Noble Lady, the Minister for Criminal Justice and Offender Management (Baroness Scotland) have had any recent meetings with health care professionals about the transportation of prisoners.

Prisons

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many carbon dioxide emission permits have been allocated to prisons in its first year of operation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme; and what the emissions were of each prison participating in the scheme.

Gerry Sutcliffe: One permit has been allocated. The site covered by the permit are Wymott/Garth prison. The site emitted 7,360 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Prisons

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to expand the capacity of the prison estate over the next 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The ongoing prison building programme will deliver 780 new places in the next 12months. This includes 180 places which have already been built but are not yet fully open.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which governors in the Prison Service received performance-related pay in the year ending March 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am unable to detail which operational and senior managers, formerly known as governors, have received performance related pay because of the provisions of Data Protection Act 1998.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department made in October 2004 to the Area Manager for London on the Service Level Agreement being developed as part of the performance testing exercise at HM Prison Wandsworth.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In announcing the results of the performance test evaluation panel, the chief executive of the National Offender Management Service asked that the service level agreement (SLA) included a requirement to report on progress six months after the commencement of the SLA.

Prisons

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which places in the ownership of his Department have planning permission for the development of a prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 25 July 2006
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has an outline planning permission for a 600 place prison on the Ashworth south site at Maghull, Merseyside and a detailed permission for a 500 place prison on a site at the Isle of Wight to the west of Parkhurst Prison.

Prisons

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the  (a) capital and  (b) annual revenue cost of his plans to build 8,000 new prison places.

John Reid: Estimated capital costs for the 8,000 place expansion programme are around £1.5 billion. Estimated annual running costs are expected to be around £0.35 billion once the programme is completed.

Prisons

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been sent to prisons in England and Wales in each of the last eight years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of persons sentenced to immediate custody in England and Wales is published in 'Sentencing Statistics 2004, England and Wales', (Home Office Bulletin No 15/05), Table 2.4 (page 25) and is on the Home Office website at:http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1505.pdf Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile such figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although some figures may be shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown. We have started a programme of work in the Home Office looking at the quality of existing court sentencing data and how this might be improved.

Prisons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners do not have British citizenship.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the number of foreign national prisoners serving an immediate custodial sentence in prison establishments in England and Wales is given in table 8.28 of the web tables of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004, available at the following address. http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/omcs.html These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.

Prisons

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Prison Service's strategy is for tackling bullying in the workplace.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The public sector Prison Service's policy on tackling bullying is set out in Prison Service Order (PSO) 8010 'Equal Opportunities'. This makes clear that staff have the right to make complaints about bullying; and that managers have responsibility for ensuring a workplace free from bullying and for dealing with any complaints they receive. PSO 8460 'Conduct and Discipline' describes the procedures to be followed where allegations of bullying require formal investigation and identifies bullying as gross misconduct which, depending on the circumstances of the case, may result in dismissal from the Service. Copies of all PSO's are available in the Library of the House.

Probation

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the probation budget is for 2006-07, broken down by area; and what the figures were for 2005-06.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Probation Board's annual budget for 2005-06 was £786,468,759 and this figure represents the Board's final budget position at the end of the financial year. It includes all relevant budget adjustments which were made during the year. The budget figure for 2006-07, of £818,004,241, is the first quarter allocated position and is therefore subject to further changes during the course of the year. A table showing the break down by area Board for both years follows.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Revenue budget 
			  Board  2005-06  2006-07( 1) 
			 Avon and Somerset 18,272,900 18,978,122 
			 Bedfordshire 8,180,000 8,575,071 
			 Cambridgeshire 8,880,000 9,257,282 
			 Cheshire 15,367,000 13,869,551 
			 Cumbria 7,458,500 7,872,810 
			 Derbyshire 12,165,500 12,731,343 
			 Devon and Cornwall 18,184,000 19,321,749 
			 Dorset 7,989,000 8,264,705 
			 Durham 9,513,000 10,054,916 
			 Essex 17,838,600 18,455,870 
			 Gloucestershire 6,523,500 6,827,540 
			 Hampshire 21,812,500 22,779,039 
			 Hertfordshire 9,706,000 10,368,603 
			 Humberside 14,909,500 16,081,339 
			 Kent 19,011,500 20,394,017 
			 Lancashire 20,227,543 20,957,594 
			 Leicestershire 13,054,500 13,278,030 
			 Lincolnshire 8,414,000 8,836,610 
			 Norfolk 10,188,851 10,643,898 
			 Northamptonshire 8,148,500 8,581,609 
			 North Yorkshire 8,998,000 9,385,751 
			 Nottinghamshire 17,142,500 18,000,092 
			 Staffordshire 14,334,500 15,774,373 
			 Suffolk 8,677,500 9,227,333 
			 Surrey 9,408,000 9,624,713 
			 Sussex 15,677,000 16,506,494 
			 Teeside 12,156,700 12,664,397 
			 Thames Valley 23,381,500 24,101,860 
			 Warwickshire 6,491,500 6,795,534 
			 West Mercia 13,197,000 13,593,886 
			 Wiltshire 7,224,000 7,672,879 
			 Greater Manchester 45,645,000 47,064,171 
			 Merseyside 28,589,100 28,053,706 
			 Northumbria 26,005,000 26,850,198 
			 South Yorkshire 23,034,000 23,991,951 
			 West Midlands 50,077,500 53,160,143 
			 West Yorkshire 36,225,700 37,793,020 
			 London 132,727,100 138,096,986 
			 Dyfed-Powys 7,495,519 7,964,434 
			 Gwent 10,018,000 10,599,210 
			 North Wales 11,012,500 11,354,055 
			 South Wales 23,106,246 23,599,355 
			 Total 786,468,759 818,004,241 
			 (1) Subject to further changes.

Probation

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in  (a) England and  (b) Beverley and Holderness were returned to prison after violating their probation conditions in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the number of persons recalled to prisons in England and Wales  (a) from Home Detention Curfew,  (b) from licence following determinate sentences of four years or more, (c) from life licence, and (d) from ACR licence can be found in tables 10.7 to 10.9, and paragraph 10.12 respectively, of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 17/05: Offender Management Caseload Statistics, England and Wales, 2004. Copies of this publication can be found in the Library.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.
	Information is not available on a constituency or regional basis.

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many public appointments are within his patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

Liam Byrne: Details of the public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Home Office can be found in 'Public Bodies', copies of which are in the Library. Public Bodies has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of Public Bodies contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. Comparable information for 1976 in respect of Home Office could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Bodies

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of the  (a) Community Development Foundation and  (b) Community Policy Directorate.

Hilary Armstrong: I have been asked to reply.
	The Community Development Foundation (CDF) has a long track record of success since its inception in 1968. It is currently embarking on a three-year forward programme to enhance community development and capacity building by focusing on strong communities, community engagement and community cohesion. It reports on past performance and provides a variety of publications both about its own work and about the community development as a whole.
	The responsibilities of the former Community Policy Directorate (latterly Communities Group of the Home Office) have been divided, following the Cabinet reshuffle on 5 May between the Department for Communities and Local Government, who will be responsible for sponsorship of the CDF and the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office.

Public Order

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were found guilty of  (a) drunk and disorderly behaviour and  (b) drunk and aggravated behaviour in the West Suffolk constituency in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of offenders found guilty of offences classified as drunkenness with aggravation (which includes drunk and disorderly) in Suffolk police force area, 1997-2004 are given in the table attached. It is not possible to identify those found guilty of the aforementioned offences in West Suffolk constituency, as the data is not collected at this level of detail. Court statistics for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.
	
		
			  Number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences relating to drunkenness in Suffolk Police Force Area( 1, 2) 
			   Offence description: Drunkenness with aggravation( 3) 
			 1997 254 
			 1998 194 
			 1999 197 
			 2000 202 
			 2001 244 
			 2002 301 
			 2003 317 
			 2004 293 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3) Includes the offence of "drunk and disorderly" [Criminal Justice Act 1967 Sec. 91] and other miscellaneous offences of drunkenness with aggravations.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform. 
		
	
	In addition to this, the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was brought into effect in all police forces in England and Wales during 2004. Under the scheme the police are able to issue persons committing specified minor offences with a fixed penalty notice. No admission of guilt is required and payment of the penalty discharges all liability for the offence. In 2004, 267 penalty notices were issued in Suffolk for the offence of being drunk and disorderly; provisional data show that 768 PNDs were issued in 2005. It is not possible to identify how many PNDs for these offences were issued in West Suffolk constituency, as the data is not collected at this level of detail.

Racist Incidents

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many racist incidents were  (a) reported in the Leicestershire Constabulary Central Area and  (b) resulted in convictions in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The number of racist incidents recorded by the police in Leicestershire as a whole for the last three years for which figures are available are as follows:
	
		
			  Racist incidents in Leicestershire 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 1,181 
			 2003-04 1,284 
			 2004-05 1,436 
		
	
	The number of convictions relating to these incidents is not available as the incidents included here relate to a range of activity and are wider than the normal definition of crime.

Recidivism

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the re-conviction rate has been in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent re-offending data for adults were published in 'Re-offending of adults: results from the 2002 cohort' which is available through the Home Office's website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm. The report shows the proportion of offenders who were released from prison or commenced a community sentence and were subsequently proven to have re-offended within two years. Results are given for 2000 and 2002.Reconviction data for the years 1997 to 2000 were published in 'Prison statistics England and Wales 2002' and 'Probation statistics England and Wales 2002'.
	Data for 2001 were published in 'Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003'. These publications are available on the Home Office website. The measure used to calculate reconviction was changed in 2005. This means that the data in the 'Re-offending of adults: results from the 2002 cohort' report can not be directly compared to the earlier publications. The differences are explained in the section "Measuring Re-offending" which begins on page one.

Recidivism

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals released from a secure training or custody facility have  (a) been reconvicted and  (b) received a (i) reprimand, (ii) final warning and (iii) caution within a year of release in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not routinely collected. Information on one-year reoffending rates of juveniles released from custody in 2004 is available in Table A6 of "Reoffending of juveniles: results from the 2004 cohort" available at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1006.pdf Information on one-year reoffending of adults released from prison or starting community sentences in 2002 is available in Table A1 of "Reoffending of adults: results from the 2002 cohort" available at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb2505.pdf Table A5 gives two-year reoffending rates for those released from prison. Please note that the aforementioned publications include information on offending that subsequently led to conviction and do not include information on offending that led to pre-court disposals (for juveniles, pre-courts disposals include reprimands and final warnings, for adults they include cautions).

Released Prisoners (Supervision)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) former convicted prisoners and  (b) foreign national former convicted prisoners are subject to supervision in the community following their release.

Gerry Sutcliffe: At 31 December 2005 there were 25,600 (rounded to the nearest 100) offenders under post-release supervision in England and Wales. It is not known how many of these were foreign nationals as, while the probation service routinely records the ethnic origin of offenders in accordance with agreed CJS codings, the nationality of offenders is not systematically recorded and there is no national framework for doing this.

Remand Prisoners

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of people imprisoned on remand pending trial were subsequently  (a) acquitted and  (b) given a non-custodial sentence in the last period for which figures are available.

John Reid: The information requested is contained in Chapter 4 of 'Criminal Statistics 2004' which can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1905.pdf.
	Table 4.8 on page 82 gives figures for the numbers of defendants remanded in custody by final court outcome.
	Figures for 2005 will be published in the autumn of 2006.

Removals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) asylum seekers and  (b) other non-UK citizens have been asked by his Department and its agencies to leave the UK in each year since 1997; how many have left in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Information relating to the number of asylum seekers and non-asylum cases who have had enforcement action initiated against them and who have been removed is published in Table 6.1 of the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2004 Command Paper.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum, including the Command Paper, are available on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at:http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Road Safety

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists have been prosecuted for offences committed while driving on motorways, excluding speeding offences registered by speed cameras, in each of the past 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The only offences identified within the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform that are specific to motorways are "excluded traffic using motorway" [Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 s. 17 (4)]; and "various offences (driving, stopping etc. by vehicles on the motorway (Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982 Regs. 5-12 and users failing to keep animal under control Regs. 14". These data are given in the table.
	All other offences committed on motorways cannot be identified from the data held centrally either because the offence as defined in legislation is not specific to any grade/type of road (e.g. speeding) or because it is not identified separately, and grouped together with other miscellaneous motoring offences.
	Available information on proceedings at magistrates courts for offences specific to motorway (other than speeding) from 1995 to 2004 (latest available), is given in the table.
	2005 data will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Proceedings at magistrates court for motorway offences( 1)  (other than speeding), England and Wales, 1995-2004 
			   Number of offences 
			 1995 5,700 
			 1996 4,900 
			 1997 3,400 
			 1998 3,000 
			 1999 2,500 
			 2000 3,200 
			 2001 2,500 
			 2002 2,900 
			 2003 2,400 
			 2004 3,000 
			 (1) Offences under—Road traffic regulation Act 1984 S.17(4)—excluded traffic using motorway. Motorways traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982 Regs. 5-12: various offences (driving, stopping etc. vehicles on motorways): Regs. 14 - Motor user failing to keep animal under control.

Safer Parking Scheme

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which car parks have achieved the Safer Parking Scheme Park Mark award; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The British Parking Association, who manage the safer parking scheme on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers, advise that on 21 July 2006 there were 2,156 car parks within England and Wales holding the scheme's Park Mark award. The location of each of these is on a list which I have placed in the Library today.
	The Home Office believes significant improvements should be made in car park safety. The industry is responding to this challenge and I do not think it is currently necessary for the Government to develop proposals to change the law relating to car parks so as to achieve a reduction in crime. But I will want to review the position in about 12 months time to ensure the industry achieves the improvements that the Government expect.

Sentencing

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many convictions for drink driving resulted in custodial sentences in 2005, broken down by police authority;
	(2)  how many convictions for  (a) drink-driving and  (b) each other motoring offence resulted in custodial sentences in each year since 1997, broken down by sex; and what percentage each figure represents of the total number of convictions resulting in custodial sentences.

Vernon Coaker: Data on convictions for drink driving resulting in custodial sentences in 2005 by police force area is not yet available.
	Information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on convictions and custodial sentences for drink-driving and other motoring offences as a proportion of total custodial sentences for all offences for 1997 to 2004 (latest available) is given in the following table. Data for 2005 will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Table H: Number of persons( 1)  found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody( 2)  at all courts for motoring offences, by sex and individual offence and as a proportion of all offenders given immediate custody, England and Wales, 2004 
			  Number of persons 
			   Male   Female  
			  Offence  Total found guilty  Immediate custody  Males given immediate custody( ) as a percentage of all persons given immediate custody  Total found guilty  Immediate custody  Females given immediate custody as a percentage of all persons given immediate custody 
			  Total number of persons given immediate custody for all offences = 106,322 
			  Percentage = 100% 
			
			  Total Motoring Offences 132,971 20,224 19.0 13,885 538 0.5 
			
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs: 76,416 2,858 2.7 10,169 125 0.1 
			 Unfit to drive through drink or drugs (impairment) 1,375 103 0.1 193 12 0.0 
			 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 65,405 2,242 2.1 8,650 103 0.1 
			 Driving & failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine) 6,706 410 0.4 958 8 0.0 
			 In charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment) 377 13 0.0 55 1 0.0 
			 In charge of motor vehicle, with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 1,448 53 0.0 157 1 0.0 
			 In charge of motor vehicle, and failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine) 800 35 0.0 110 (4)— (4)— 
			 Failing to provide specimen for initial breath test 305 2 0.0 46 (4)— (4)— 
			
			  Other motoring offences 56,555 17,366 16.3 3,716 413 0.4 
			 Causing death by dangerous driving 228 213 0.2 13 8 0.0 
			 Causing death by careless driving under influence of drink or drugs 58 55 0.1 4 4 0.0 
			 Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking 10 7 0.0 1 1 0.0 
			 Causing bodily harm 11 7 0.0 2 (4)— (4)— 
			
			 Dangerous driving 5,169 2,268 2.1 191 38 0.0 
			
			 Failing to stop after accident, etc. 3,900 65 0.1 649 3 0.0 
			 Failing to report accident within 24 hours 1,185 5 0.0 241 (4)— (4)— 
			 Failing to give name and address after accident 161 1 0.0 21 (4)— (4)— 
			
			 Aggravated vehicle taking—driving dangerously, causing injury or damage 3,213 1,192 1.1 144 10 0.0 
			 Aggravated vehicle taking—criminal damage of £5,000 or under 1,564 347 0.3 103 6 0.0 
			 Unauthorised taking or the theft of a motor vehicle 5,434 1,135 1.1 313 22 0.0 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 964 292 0.3 28 4 0.0 
			
			 Driving while disqualified 31,882 11,763 11.1 1,684 316 0.3 
			 Driving after false declaration as to physical fitness etc. 4 1 0.0 (4)— (4)— (4)— 
			
			 Fraud and forgery—driving licence 77 1 0.0 9 (4)— (4)— 
			 Fraud and forgery—insurance certificate 337 8 0.0 15 (4)— (4)— 
			 Fraud and forgery—registration & licensing 1,533 1 0.0 198 (4)— (4)— 
			 Fraud and forgery—work records 368 3 0.0 2 (4)— (4)— 
			
			 Failing to give name and address etc. when required 457 2 0.0 98 1 0.0 
			 (1) These data are based on the principal offence basis.  (2) Immediate custody = Detention and Training Order, Detained under s90-92 Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000, Young Offender Institution & Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.  (3 )0.0 = less than 0.05 per cent.  (4 )= nil.   Notes:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Sentencing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average prison sentence, not including life sentences, was in the last period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The average custodial sentence length for all offences at all courts in England and Wales, excluding life sentences, was 12.9 months in 2004, the latest year for which data is currently available. This figure is published in 'Sentencing Statistics 2004, England and Wales', (Home Office Bulletin No. 15/05), Table 2.14 and is on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1505.pdf Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile such figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although some figures may be shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown. We have started a programme of work in the Home Office looking at the quality of existing court sentencing data and how this might be improved.

Sentencing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long an average non-life sentenced prisoners served in the last five years; for what reasons prisoners may not serve their full sentence; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the average length of time served by prisoners on non-life determinate sentences can be found in table 10.1 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003 and 2004, and tables 3.13, 3.14, and 4.11 of Prison Statistics in England and Wales 2000 to 2002. Copies of these publications are available in the House of Commons Library. The figures provided in these tables were drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number. Under the Criminal Justice Act 1991, those sentenced to determinate sentences of four years or more are eligible for parole half way through their sentence. If parole is not granted then release occurs at the two-thirds point of the sentence (or at a subsequent parole review if earlier). Prisoners sentenced to determinate terms of under four years under the 1991 Act are generally released automatically at the half way point of their sentence. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 introduced new arrangements for prison sentences. They apply only to offences committed on or after 4 April 2005. A new indeterminate public protection sentence was introduced. Those offenders judged to be dangerous, and who have committed serious sexual or violent offences, can be kept in prison until the Parole Board judges it is safe to release them. If they have committed less serious offences they may serve a determinate sentence followed by an extended period on licence after release of up to eight years for sexual offences and five years for violent offences. Other determinate sentence prisoners will be released automatically at the halfway point of their sentence. The Home Detention Curfew scheme (HDC) has been in operation since January 1999. Subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and passing a careful risk assessment, prisoners serving sentences of between three months and less than four years may be released up to four and a half months (135 days) early from prison subject to an electronically monitored curfew normally between 7 pm and 7 am. Information on the numbers of prisoners released under Home Detention Curfew (HDC) can be found in tables 10.3 in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004.

Serious Crime Prevention Orders

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost is of the new serious crime prevention orders.

Vernon Coaker: The regulatory impact assessment accompanying the consultation document new powers against organised and financial crime estimates the average cost of obtaining one order in a contested hearing will be around £40,000 to the applicant, and, if the proposed subject of the order is on legal aid, at most another £40,000 in legal aid bills. Any appeal hearing against the granting of an order is likely to cost approximately the same again to both the applicant and the legal aid budget.
	We have not estimated the total cost of the new orders, as this will depend on the number applied for.

Serious Organised Crime/Terrorism

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) arrested,  (b) charged and await trial and  (c) convicted following an investigation by the Serious Organised Crime Agency since its inception.

Vernon Coaker: Since it assumed its functions on 1 April 2006, SOCA has run a number of investigations, some of which it has inherited from pre-cursor agencies and some of which it has initiated itself. It has also assisted others, at home and abroad, in their enforcement activities. In accordance with section 7(1) of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, SOCA will issue a report on the exercise of its functions during the year as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.

Serious Organised Crime/Terrorism

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to improve the ability of police forces to co-ordinate activities to combat serious organised crime and terrorism.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 24 July 2006
	Schedule 10 to the Police and Justice Bill will enable the Secretary of State to confer new a function on police authorities 'to secure that arrangements are made for (their) force to co-operate with other police forces whenever necessary of expedient'.
	In addition, I will shortly be writing to police forces and police authorities setting out the next steps in the light of the decision not to proceed with enforced police force mergers. I will be inviting forces and authorities to consider how improvements in protective services might be achieved through greater collaboration and co-operation.
	I have also dedicated an extra £33 million extra this year and £65 million the year after to expand the police specialist counter terrorism capacity outside London. This is in addition to an extra £30 million this year and £45 million next year for the Metropolitan police. This will help strengthen the police service's intelligence and investigative capability and capacity and complements the additional funding awarded to the security and intelligence services.

Sex Offenders

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offenders are  (a) required to register with the police and  (b) registered with the police; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: All sex offenders who meet the notification requirements of The Sex Offender Act 1997, as updated by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, are required to notify certain personal information, for example their address, to the police.
	Following conviction for a relevant offence, a certificate of conviction recording the notification requirement is forwarded to the police by the court. The police will note the requirement on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register (ViSOR). The offender's Violent and Sex Offenders Register entry will be updated when he actually registers and, if he fails to do so as required, he will be flagged on the Police National Computer and followed up accordingly.
	Since 2002 and the introduction of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), details of the number of registered sex offenders in the community has been routinely incorporated into the MAPPA Annual Report for each area of England and Wales. In 2004-05 MAPPA reports, the latest year of publication, recorded 28,994 registered sex offenders living in the community across England and Wales as at 31 March 2005. Further information by area is summarised in individual MAPPA reports which are published annually. The following table sets out the national figure for the number of convictions and cautions received for breach of the notification requirements. The maximum penalty for breach of the notification requirements is five years' imprisonment. Data on the penalties imposed in each case of conviction are not recorded centrally.
	
		
			  RSOs cautioned or convicted for breach of registration requirements, 2001-05 
			   Number 
			 2001-02 682 
			 2002-03 780 
			 2003-04 853 
			 2004-05 993

Sex Offenders

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offenders have breached their registration requirements in each of the last five years; and what penalties were imposed in each case.

John Reid: All sex offenders who meet the notification requirements of the Sex Offender Act 1997, as updated by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, are required to notify certain personal information, for example their address, to the police.
	Following conviction for a relevant offence, a certificate of conviction recording the notification requirement is forwarded to the police by the court. The police will note the requirement on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register (ViSOR. The offender's Violent and Sex Offenders Register entry will be updated when he actually registers and, if he fails to do so as required, he will be flagged on the Police National Computer and followed up accordingly.
	Since 2002 and the introduction of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), details of the number of registered sex offenders in the community has been routinely incorporated into the MAPPA Annual Report for each area of England and Wales. In 2004-05 MAPPA reports, the latest year of publication, recorded 28,994 registered sex offenders living in the community across England and Wales as at 31 March 2005. Further information by area is summarised in individual MAPPA reports which are published annually. The following table sets out the national figure for the number of convictions and cautions received for breach of the notification requirements. The maximum penalty for breach of the notification requirements is five years' imprisonment. Data on the penalties imposed in each case of conviction is not recorded centrally.
	
		
			  RSOs cautioned or convicted for breach of registration requirements 2001-05 
			   RSOs cautioned or convicted for breach of registration requirements 
			 2001-02 682 
			 2002-03 780 
			 2003-04 853 
			 2004-05 993

Sex Offenders

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce procedures for checking whether candidates for public office as councillors and hon. Members are on the Sex Offenders Register.

Vernon Coaker: There are no plans to introduce procedures to check whether candidates for public office are subject to the notification requirements of part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which are often known as the sex offenders register.
	The notification requirements serve a specific purpose: to ensure that the police are kept informed of convicted and cautioned sex offenders' personal details by obliging offenders to notify information to the police, notify the police of any changes to that information and re-confirm their details at least once a year. This is to assist the police and probation services in the management of any risks offenders may pose and in the detection of sexual crime. They do not exist to punish offenders or bar them from certain occupations or posts.
	Under the Local Government Act 1972, however, an individual will be disqualified from being a local councillor if he receives a conviction carrying a prison sentence of over three months (suspended or not) if convicted of an offence within five years before election. Similarly, under the Representation of the People Act 1981, a person found guilty and sentenced or ordered to be imprisoned or detained for more than one year is disqualified from membership of the House of Commons while detained in pursuance of the sentence.
	Moreover, the fact that a sex offender is a councillor or MP would not relieve the police and probation services responsibility to manage any risks the individual may pose. They would include in their risk assessments any details of the individual's duties and if it was thought that they posed a risk of serious sexual harm, then the police could apply for a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) to impose prohibitions on the individual's behaviour.

Sexual Offences

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of sex offences in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005, broken down by offence; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Information held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants found guilty of sex offences in 2004 are provided in the following table. The Sexual Offences Act 2003, which covers a large proportion of the offences listed in the table only came into force from 1 May 2004. Figures for 2005 will be published in autumn 2006.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for all sexual offences, 2004 in England and Wales( 1) 
			  Offence  Statute  Found guilty 
			 Buggery or attempted buggery by a male of a male under 16. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 143, 144 . 52 
			 Buggery or attempted buggery by a male with a male not included elsewhere. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice  Public Order Act 1994 Sec 143, 144 . 1 
			 Buggery or attempted buggery by a male with a female under 16. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 143, 144. 6 
			 Buggery or attempted buggery by a male aged 21 or over with a female aged 16 or 17. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 143, 144. 1 
			 Buggery or attempted buggery by a male with a female not included elsewhere. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 143, 144 1 
			 Buggery or attempted buggery with an animal. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 143, 144. 1 
			 Buggery or attempted buggery by a male aged 18-20 with a female aged under 16. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 12 as amended by Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 S1 1 
			 Indecent assault on male person under 16 years. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 15. 277 
			 Indecent assault on male person 16 years or over. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 15. 63 
			 Assault on a male by penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.2 1 
			 Assault of a male child under 13 by penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.6 2 
			 Sexual assault on a male. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.3 6 
			 Sexual assault of a male child under 13 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.7 7 
			 Gross indecency or indecency by a man with another male person not included elsewhere. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 13 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Sec 144. 1 
			 Gross indecency by a male aged 21 or over with a male aged under 18. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sees 12, 13 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 144. 1 
			 Gross indecency by a male aged 18 or over with another male aged 18 or over. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sees 12, 13 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 144. 2 
			 Gross indecency or indecency by a male aged 16 or over with a male aged 16 or over. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 13 as amended by Sexual Offences( Amendment) Act 2000 S.1 4 
			 Gross indecency or indecency by a male aged 21 or over with male aged under 16. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 13 as amended by Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 S.1 1 
			 Man having unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman who is a defective. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 7 as amended by Mental Health Act 1959 Sec 127. 8 
			 Male member of staff of hospital or mental nursing home having unlawful sexual intercourse with female patient. Mental Health Act 1959 Sec 128(1)(a). 1 
			 Rape of a female aged under 16. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 275 
			 Rape of a female aged 16 or over. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 325 
			 Rape of a male aged under 16. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 28 
			 Rape of a male aged 16 or over Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 10 
			 Attempted rape of a female aged under 16 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 41 
			 Attempted rape of a female aged 16 or over Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 47 
			 Attempted rape of a male aged under 16. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 7 
			 Attempted rape of a male aged 16 or over Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 2 
			 Rape of a female child under 13 by a male Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 5 5 
			 Rape of a male child under 13 by a male Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 5 1 
			 Attempted rape of a male child under 13 by a male Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 5 1 
			 Indecent assault on females under 16 years of age. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 14 as amended by Indecency with Children Act 1960 Sec 2. 1,225 
			 Indecent assault on females aged 16 years or over. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 14. 810 
			 Assault on a female by penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.2 18 
			 Assault of a female child under 13 by penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.6 7 
			 Sexual assault on a female. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.3 158 
			 Sexual assault of a female child under 13 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.7 34 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 13. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 5. 9 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 Sexual offences Act 1956 S.5 53 
			 Causing or Inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activitypenetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.8(1)(2) 1 
			 Causing or Inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activityno penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.8(1)(3) 1 
			 Causing or Inciting a male child under 13 to engage in sexual activitypenetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.8 (1 )(2) 1 
			 Sexual activity with a female child under 13offender aged 18 or overpenetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b,cii)(2) 2 
			 Sexual activity with a male child under 13offender aged 18 or overpenetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b,cii)(2) 1 
			 Causing or Inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity offender aged 18 or overpenetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 10(1,a,b,c(ii))(2) 1 
			 Engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13 (offender aged 18 or over) Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 11(1 a,b,c,d(ii))(2) 6 
			 Causing a child under 13 to watch a sexual act (offender aged 18 or over) Sexual Offences Act 2003 S12 (1 a,b,c(ii))(2) 1 
			 Sexual activity with a female child under 13offender aged under 18 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b,cii)(2)  S13 3 
			 Sexual activity with a male child under 13offender aged under 18 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b,cii)(2)  S13 1 
			 Engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13offender under 18 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 11(1 a,b,c,d(ii))(2)  S13 1 
			 Sexual activity with a female child under 13offender aged 18 or overno penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b,cii)(3) 5 
			 Sexual activity with a male child under 13offender aged under 18no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1a,b,cii)(3)  13 3 
			 Causing or Inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity offender aged under 18no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 10(1 ,a,b,c(ii))(3)  13 1 
			 Causing or Inciting a male child under 13 to engage in sexual activity offender aged under18no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 10(1,a,b,c(ii))(3)  13 2 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 6. 70 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 Sexual Offences Act 1956 S.6 158 
			 Causing a female person to engage in sexual activity without consentpenetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.4(1-4) 1 
			 Causing a male person to engage in sexual activity without consentpenetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.4(1-4) 1 
			 Causing a female person to engage in sexual activity without consentno penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.4(1-3,5) 2 
			 Sexual activity with a female child under 16 (offender aged 18 or over) penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1,a,b,ci)(2) 38 
			 Sexual activity with a male child under 16 (offender aged 18 or over)penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1,a,b,ci)(2) 2 
			 Causing or inciting a female child under 16 to engage in sexual activity (offender aged 18 or over)penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.10(1a,b,ci)(2) 3 
			 Causing or inciting a male child under 16 to engage in sexual activity (offender aged 18 or over)penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 10(1a,b,ci)(2) 2 
			 Engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 16 (offender aged 18 or over) Sexual Offences Act 2003 S 11(1 a,b,c,d(i))(2) 5 
			 Causing a child under 16 to watch a sexual act(offender aged 18 or over) Sexual Offences Act 2003 S12 (1 a,b,c(i))(2) 1 
			 Sexual activity with a female child under 16offender under 18 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.91,a,b,ci)(2)  S.13 8 
			 Causing or inciting a female child under 16 to engage in sexual activityoffender under 18 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.10(1,a,b,c(i))(2)  S. 13 1 
			 Sexual activity with a female child under 16 offender aged 18 or overno penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1,a,b,ci)(3) 10 
			 Causing or inciting a female child under 16 to engage in sexual activity (offender aged 18 or over)no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.10(1a,b,ci)(3) 3 
			 Sexual activity with a female child under 16 (offender aged under18)no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.9(1,a,b,ci)(3) and 13 1 
			 Incest with girl under 13 years old. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 10, 11. 10 
			 Other incest. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 10, 11. 14 
			 Sexual activity with a female child family memberoffender not 18 or over at time of offence and victim 13-17no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1ei,2-3,5) 2 
			 Sex with an adult relative: consenting to penetration (offender aged 16 or over, relative aged 18 or over)consenting to penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.65 1 
			 Sexual activity with a female child family memberoffender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim under 13penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1eii,2-4a,6) 1 
			 Sexual activity with a female child family memberoffender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim 13-17no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1 ei,2-4b) 4 
			 Sexual activity with a female child family memberoffender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim under 13no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1eii,2-4b) 1 
			 Sexual activity with a male child family memberoffender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim under 13no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S25(1eii,2-4b) 1 
			 Inciting a female child family member to engage in sexual activityoffender aged 18 or over at time of offence and victim under 13no penetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S26 (1eii,2-4b ) 1 
			 Procuring female for immoral purposes or using drugs to obtain or facilitate sexual intercourse. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sees 2, 3, 4, 22 and 23. 1 
			 Man living on earnings of prostitution or exercising control over prostitute. Woman for purpose of gain, exercising control over prostitute. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 30, Sec 31. 36 
			 Man procuring an act of buggery between two other men. Sexual Offences Act 1967 Sec 4(1). 1 
			 Man or woman living wholly or in part on the earnings of male prostitution. Sexual Offences Act 1967 Sec 5(1). 4 
			 Causing or inciting prostitution for gain Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.52 1 
			 Keeping a brothel used for prostitution Sexual Offences Act 1956 S.33A as added by Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.55 4 
			 Abduction of unmarried girl under 16. Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 20. 4 
			 Bigamy. Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 57. 22 
			 Man soliciting or importuning in a public place for immoral purposes . Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 32 . 3 
			 Sexual activity with a female person with a mental disorder impeding choicepenetration Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.30(1-3) 1 
			 Arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S14 1 
			 Controlling a child prostitute or a child involved in pornographychild 13-17 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.49(1a,bi,2) 1 
			 Abuse of position of trustsexual intercourse. Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 SS.3a and 4. 6 
			 Abuse of position of trustsexual activity other than Sexual intercourse. Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 SS.3b and 4. 6 
			 Failure to notify police of name or names Sex Offenders Act 1997 S.3 (1) (a) 65 
			 Failure to notify police of home address Sex Offenders Act 1997 S.3 (1) (a) 312 
			 Notifying police with false information as to name or names Sex Offenders Act 1997 S.3 (1) (b) c 
			 Notifying police with false information as to home address Sex Offenders Act 1997 S.3 (1) (b) 8 
			 Abuse of a position of trust: Sexual activity with a female child. (Offender is aged 18 or over and victim is 13-17) Sexual Offences Act 2003 S16(1ei,2-5) 3 
			 Gross indecency with children (with boys). Indecency with Children Act 1960 Sec 1. 67 
			 Gross indecency with children (with girls). Indecency with Children Act 1960 Sec 1 . 173 
			 Meeting a female child following sexual grooming etc. (Offender is aged 18 or over and victim is under 16) Sexual Offences Act 2003 S15 3 
			 Administering a substance with intent Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.61 2 
			 Committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.62 4 
			 Exposure Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.66 175 
			 Voyeurism Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.67 15 
			 Total  4,785 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Sexual Offences

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the detection rate for  (a) rape and  (b) other sexual offences was in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is given in the tables.
	Since 1997 there have been a number of significant changes to the way that sex offences are defined and recorded by the police. These make it impossible to compare in a direct way recent figures with those from earlier years. Changes include:
	(i) A revision to the counting rules for recorded crime and the expanded coverage which came into effect on 1 April 1998;
	(ii) The revised detections guidance issued in April 1999;
	(iii) The introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002;and;
	(iv) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004, which altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences, in particular, indecent exposure is now classified as a sexual offence.
	The existing statistical evidence suggests that both that the changes to detections guidance and the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) had a marked impact on the reduction in detection rates for rapes since 1997. The Home Office is currently researching in detail recent changes in detection rates in rape cases in England and Wales, including variation between forces.
	In 2002 the Government published the Rape Action Plan, in response to the thematic inspection into the investigation and prosecution of rape cases. A follow-up inspection took place earlier this year, and its findings and recommendations will be published in the autumn. This will inform us how far the recommendations of the Rape Action Plan have been implemented by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
	Guidance on the Investigation of Serious Sexual Offences was published by Centrex and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in 2005. The guidance presents detailed recommendations for all stages of an investigation, from when the crime is reported to when an offender is identified and charged.
	
		
			  Table 1: Detection rates( 1)  for rape offences by police force area 
			  Police force area  1997  1998-99( 2)  1999-2000( 3)  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03( 4)  2003-04  2004-05( 5)  2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset 86 74 62 43 27 22 21 18 22 
			 Bedfordshire 70 56 43 34 25 29 21 23 23 
			 Cambridgeshire 79 62 56 50 46 29 15 21 22 
			 Cheshire 100 98 87 86 81 48 29 28 28 
			 Cleveland 89 91 73 59 65 41 31 22 38 
			 Cumbria 97 93 91 70 74 64 30 30 35 
			 Derbyshire 93 73 52 38 39 35 33 31 30 
			 Devon and Cornwall 92 89 96 77 49 30 19 26 18 
			 Dorset 94 78 50 36 39 25 17 17 17 
			 Durham 93 95 85 91 n/a 68 71 60 26 
			 Dyfed-Powys 95 91 89 109 76 91 25 35 18 
			 Essex 79 65 64 50 33 32 29 27 25 
			 Gloucestershire 89 69 66 70 57 31 28 29 19 
			 Greater Manchester 85 74 64 58 55 46 32 30 31 
			 Gwent 100 91 92 98 93 80 78 52 40 
			 Hampshire 79 99 65 58 53 41 34 26 21 
			 Hertfordshire 88 96 78 66 62 50 50 38 41 
			 Humberside 65 58 33 37 33 23 20 22 23 
			 Kent 92 85 90 57 56 38 27 22 22 
			 Lancashire 91 83 79 53 47 52 35 37 35 
			 Leicestershire 72 43 37 37 n/a 26 28 23 19 
			 Lincolnshire 124 82 87 67 50 40 28 31 24 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 50 22 100 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 90 78 69 66 53 47 43 35 24 
			 Metropolitan Police 58 32 28 24 27 29 33 25 36 
			 Norfolk 68 94 37 35 36 24 18 21 23 
			 Northamptonshire 96 82 95 70 64 53 37 32 33 
			 Northumbria 85 68 61 50 43 36 30 25 29 
			 North Wales 89 92 85 59 35 26 29 27 25 
			 North Yorkshire 87 105 62 73 59 43 41 41 34 
			 Nottinghamshire 83 55 46 51 36 34 27 36 27 
			 South Wales 99 93 88 91 90 62 53 60 29 
			 South Yorkshire 96 79 88 75 72 40 38 30 24 
			 Staffordshire 86 68 39 38 35 40 32 30 26 
			 Suffolk 74 73 29 36 30 30 26 21 25 
			 Surrey 56 48 45 28 42 32 35 26 32 
			 Sussex 80 55 47 34 35 26 24 15 21 
			 Thames Valley 90 59 52 26 32 27 18 24 22 
			 Warwickshire 79 79 55 52 30 27 19 25 19 
			 West Mercia 91 87 64 56 44 37 35 31 27 
			 West Midlands 77 68 59 53 45 41 32 25 29 
			 West Yorkshire 90 83 76 71 55 42 31 25 25 
			 Wiltshire 96 73 68 31 46 37 41 32 33 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Detection rates( 1)  for other sexual offences (excluding rape) by police force area 
			  Police force area  1997  1998-99( 2)  1999-2000( 3)  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03( 4)  2003-04  2004-05( 5)  2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset 76 68 62 48 33 29 29 22 29 
			 Bedfordshire 70 54 55 57 45 44 29 41 31 
			 Cambridgeshire 71 67 74 60 51 38 32 30 31 
			 Cheshire 94 90 84 87 79 58 49 40 35 
			 Cleveland 77 78 85 81 85 69 60 51 47 
			 Cumbria 90 88 87 86 72 57 51 46 51 
			 Derbyshire 80 79 66 55 66 48 49 37 33 
			 Devon and Cornwall 84 87 90 82 62 48 39 33 33 
			 Dorset 82 75 67 58 53 47 33 31 35 
			 Durham 91 80 93 81 n/a 59 77 69 37 
			 Dyfed-Powys 94 96 95 93 95 91 52 46 48 
			 Essex 68 64 67 57 55 43 40 36 31 
			 Gloucestershire 80 69 72 67 64 42 38 35 34 
			 Greater Manchester 70 72 65 62 58 54 46 30 35 
			 Gwent 95 87 94 91 90 83 81 57 48 
			 Hampshire 79 102 76 66 62 59 44 36 31 
			 Hertfordshire 69 80 72 65 75 54 55 41 43 
			 Humberside 66 60 43 46 38 41 33 30 37 
			 Kent 85 80 78 59 59 49 43 29 32 
			 Lancashire 81 76 75 62 52 61 48 41 44 
			 Leicestershire 78 63 58 46 n/a 35 33 28 33 
			 Lincolnshire 124 84 78 73 68 33 40 41 38 
			 London, City of 74 59 40 38 67 45 35 44 45 
			 Merseyside 81 72 66 69 56 53 47 41 38 
			 Metropolitan Police 62 46 34 33 34 34 35 25 34 
			 Norfolk 91 82 72 51 50 37 46 38 68 
			 Northamptonshire 92 81 84 81 70 53 62 52 39 
			 Northumbria 71 68 58 58 52 51 49 35 47 
			 North Wales 90 93 90 67 58 38 45 42 46 
			 North Yorkshire 77 87 71 74 69 59 54 50 51 
			 Nottinghamshire 76 62 57 47 46 48 46 47 48 
			 South Wales 87 86 84 82 78 59 52 36 34 
			 South Yorkshire 82 84 78 77 67 51 53 38 35 
			 Staffordshire 80 68 37 40 39 55 52 41 36 
			 Suffolk 85 75 72 60 54 57 40 43 45 
			 Surrey 69 110 59 45 45 43 44 34 36 
			 Sussex 76 60 57 48 50 43 41 31 37 
			 Thames Valley 76 61 53 49 44 34 36 29 34 
			 Warwickshire 93 78 62 51 60 48 34 42 42 
			 West Mercia 82 79 69 61 51 49 50 41 48 
			 West Midlands 68 63 60 54 55 44 38 30 34 
			 West Yorkshire 84 74 80 73 67 55 39 32 28 
			 Wiltshire 84 87 68 40 52 42 42 37 41 
			 (1) Offences detected in current year may have been initially recorded in an earlier year, so some percentages may exceed 100.  (2) Expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules came into effect on 1 April 1998.  (3) Revised detections guidance was implemented on 1 April 1999.  (4) The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.  (5) The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.  n/aNot available.

Shootings

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been shot in each London  (a) borough and  (b) constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: The total number of offences recorded by the City of London and Metropolitan police in which firearms, excluding air weapons, were reported to have caused injury between 1997 and 2004-05 are given in the tables. Data cannot be broken down to a more local level. Force breakdowns are only available since 1997. Changes in crime recording guidance has meant that data for 2004-05 cannot be directly compared to 1997-98.
	
		
			  Table 1: Crimes recorded by City of London and Metropolitan police forces in which firearms were reported to have caused injury, 1997-98 to 2001-02 
			   Total number of injuries 
			 1997-98 401 
			 1998-99 442 
			 1999-2000 623 
			 2000-01 732 
			 2001-02 985 
			  Notes: 1. There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998.  2. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002.  3. Excludes air weapons.  4. Includes violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.  5. Includes slight, serious (necessitated detention in hospital or involved fractures, concussion, severe general shock, penetration by a bullet or multiple shot wounds) and fatal injuries.  6. By the weapon being fired or used as a blunt instrument. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Crimes recorded by City of London and Metropolitan police forces in which firearms were reported to have caused injury, 2002-03 to 2004-05 
			   Total number of Injuries 
			 2002-03 982 
			 2003-04 922 
			 2004-05 1,221 
			 Notes:  1. Data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.  2. Excludes air weapons.  3. Includes violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.  4. Includes slight, serious (necessitated detention in hospital or involved fractures, concussion, severe general shock, penetration by a bullet or multiple shot wounds) and fatal injuries.  5. By the weapon being fired or used as a blunt instrument.

Special Advisers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been paid in  (a) salary,  (b) travelling expenses,  (c) subsistence allowance and  (d) removal expenses to special advisers in his private office in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each payband. For information relating to the last financial year I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made to my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on Thursday 21 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 158-61 WS.

Stephen Ayre

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer dated 9 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 216-17W, on Stephen Ayre, whether the Serious Further Offence review of the case of Stephen Ayre is complete; and whether it will be made public.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This review has been completed. This is an internal procedure carried out by the Probation Service to quality assure its risk assessment and risk management processes. Reviews are routinely shared with HMI Probation who are integral to the quality assurance process. Where it is assessed that an independent review is required, the findings are made public.

Talk to Frank

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost has been of the Talk to Frank programme; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The FRANK drugs information and advice campaign was launched in May 2003 and the total cost for the programme over three years to 200506 is 14.7 million.
	It is a joint campaign between the Home Office, Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills.
	The campaign offers an all year round confidential service for young people and their parents on any aspect of drugs. Since launch, the FRANK helpline has answered over one million calls and made over 40,000 referrals to treatment and support services. The website talktofrank.com has received over 11 million hits and replied to over 80,000 emails.
	There has also been a successful information campaign using advertising and leaflets to educate young people and parents of drug harms, and stakeholder support to encourage targeted interventions with the most vulnerable young people.

Under-age Drinking

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place for under-age drinking in the London borough of Sutton in each year since 1990.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the number of persons aged 10-17 proceeded against for drunkenness offences in the London borough of Sutton in each year since 1990 can be found in the following table.
	Court proceedings statistics for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	In addition to this, the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme, brought into effect in all police forces in England and Wales in 2004, gives the police powers to issue persons aged 16-17 believed to be committing offences of under-age drinking with a fixed penalty notice. No admission of guilt is required and payment of the penalty discharges all liability for conviction for the offence. It is not possible to provide identify the number of PNDs issued in Sutton as the data is not collected at that level of detail centrally.
	
		
			  Number of people aged 10-17 proceeded against at Sutton magistrates court for offences relating to drunkenness( 1) ,1990 to 2004( 2,3) 
			   Proceeded against 
			 1990 3 
			 1991 3 
			 1992 2 
			 1993 6 
			 1994 3 
			 1995  
			 1996 1 
			 1997 4 
			 1998 5 
			 1999 4 
			 2000 7 
			 2001 4 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 4 
			 2004 3 
			 (1) Includes offences: drunkenness, simple; drunkenness, with aggravation; person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor in licensed premises.(2) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete.However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Violent Crime

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes were committed in each London borough in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The available information is for crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) areas and is given in the following tables. CDRP data are only available centrally from 1999-2000.
	In April 2002, the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced to ensure greater consistency in recording and took a more victim-orientated approach, which increased the crime count, particularly for violent crime. For these reasons figures over this period are not comparable when they cross the time boundary.
	
		
			  Violent crimes( 1)  recorded by the Metropolitan police for each crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP), 1990-2000 to 2001-02 
			  CDRP  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,910 4,545 5,013 
			 Barnet 5,364 5,835 6,422 
			 Bexley 3,595 3,815 4,062 
			 Brent 7,758 8,055 8,381 
			 Bromley 3,908 4,671 4,992 
			 Camden 7,282 7,551 8,328 
			 City of Westminster 12,200 11,397 12,269 
			 Croydon 7,276 8,287 8,685 
			 Ealing 8,715 8,284 9,448 
			 Enfield 5,274 6,217 6,665 
			 Greenwich 7,054 7,120 7,368 
			 Hackney 9,469 8,966 10,081 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 5,780 5,498 5,845 
			 Haringey 7,313 7,973 8,206 
			 Harrow 3,102 3,147 3,668 
			 Havering 3,046 3,337 3,947 
			 Hillingdon 4,338 4,773 5,679 
			 Hounslow 6,060 6,398 7,119 
			 Islington 7,350 7,218 7,673 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4,304 4,444 4,443 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,713 2,860 3,138 
			 Lambeth 12,167 13,156 15,241 
			 Lewisham 6,722 7,250 7,856 
			 Merton 3,358 3,447 3,974 
			 Newham 9,344 9,784 10,383 
			 Redbridge 4,453 4,847 5,182 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,375 2,321 2,580 
			 Southwark 9,943 10,048 11,284 
			 Sutton 2,469 2,393 2,905 
			 Tower Hamlets 7,292 8,105 8,854 
			 Waltham Forest 5,755 6,332 7,424 
			 Wandsworth 6,798 6,580 7,314 
			 Total 196,487 204,654 224,429 
			 (1) The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Violent crimes( 1)  recorded by the Metropolitan police for each crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP), 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			  CDRP  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 5,329 5,939 6,207 6,321 
			 Barnet 6,597 7,165 8,773 7,928 
			 Bexley 4,098 4,598 4,786 5,045 
			 Brent 8,379 9,552 11,517 10,927 
			 Bromley 5,670 6,100 6,798 6,693 
			 Camden 7,935 8,178 9,505 9,089 
			 City of Westminster 12,352 11,683 12,730 11,760 
			 Croydon 9,957 10,099 10,511 9,960 
			 Ealing 9,325 8,978 9,962 10,216 
			 Enfield 6,964 6,664 6,580 7,003 
			 Greenwich 7,954 8,320 9,394 9,312 
			 Hackney 9,646 9,997 9,669 9,790 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 5,856 5,701 6,234 6,549 
			 Haringey 8,123 7,887 8,179 9,370 
			 Harrow 3,573 3,620 3,933 4,046 
			 Havering 4,558 4,615 4,792 4,844 
			 Hillingdon 5,847 6,001 6,782 7,439 
			 Hounslow 8,372 8,051 7,776 7,559 
			 Islington 8,436 8,427 9,229 8,760 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4,450 4,437 4,382 4,442 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3,312 3,901 3,958 3,753 
			 Lambeth 13,752 13,264 13,435 12,566 
			 Lewisham 7,795 8,964 10,048 11,147 
			 Merton 4,322 4,357 4,475 4,493 
			 Newham 10,679 10,936 10,365 11,312 
			 Redbridge 5,892 6,105 6,212 5,512 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,942 2,855 3,120 2,939 
			 Southwark 10,898 11,707 12,223 12,503 
			 Sutton 3,476 3,703 3,956 3,762 
			 Tower Hamlets 9,777 9,664 9,762 9,531 
			 Waltham Forest 7,506 7,926 8,276 9,501 
			 Wandsworth 7,510 7,254 7,706 8,135 
			 Total 231,282 236,648 251,275 252,207 
			 (1) The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Witnesses

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of offences of intimidation or harming of witnesses in each year since 2003; and how many of those received a custodial sentence in each year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of people convicted of offences of intimidation or harming of witnesses; and how many of those in each year received a custodial sentence in England and Wales, 2003 to 2004 can be seen in the following table. Court proceedings statistics for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of people convicted at all courts for offences relating to intimidation or harming of witness in England and Wales( 1, 2)  2003 to 2004 
			2003  2004 
			 Sentenced   Sentenced 
			  Statute  Offence Description  Guilty  Total sentenced( 3)  Of which immediate custody  Guilty  Total sentenced( 3)  Of which immediate custody 
			 Criminal Justice  Public Order Act 1994, Sec.51(1) Intimidating a juror or witness or person assisting in investigation of offenders 467 469 211 523 525 259 
			 Criminal Justice  Public Order Act 1994, Sec.51(2) Harming or threatening to harm a juror, witness or a person assisting in investigation of offences 76 77 34 113 112 56 
			 Criminal Justice  Police Act 2001 S39 Intimidating or intending to intimidate a witness 2 3 2 10 12 7 
			 Criminal Justice  Police Act 2001 S40 Harming or intending to harm a witness 2 2 0 2 2 0 
			  Total 547 551 247 648 651 322 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3 )The sentenced figure can exceed those found guilty, as it may be that the sentencing took place in the Crown court the year after a person was found guilty at the magistrates court.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Work Permits

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many valid work permits issued to workers from each country there were at the latest available date.

Liam Byrne: The information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Nationality  Valid permits 
			 India 102,730 
			 Philippines 41,079 
			 United States Of America 35,191 
			 South Africa 30,524 
			 Australia 21,044 
			 China Peoples Republic Of 20,830 
			 Zimbabwe 13,802 
			 Pakistan 13,097 
			 Malaysia 11 ,654 
			 Japan 11,371 
			 Nigeria 8,165 
			 New Zealand 7,799 
			 Canada 7,726 
			 Bulgaria 5,935 
			 Romania 5,161 
			 Ghana 4,265 
			 Thailand 4,067 
			 Ukraine 4,003 
			 Bangladesh 3,900 
			 Russia 3,800 
			 Kenya 3,370 
			 Sri Lanka 3,200 
			 Mauritius 3,165 
			 South Korea 3,089 
			 Jamaica 2,626 
			 Turkey 2,359 
			 Zambia 2,207 
			 Singapore 2,090 
			 Brazil 2,079 
			 Nepal 1,978 
			 British National Overseas 1,976 
			 Hong Kong 1,753 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 1,765 
			 Argentina 1,518 
			 Israel 1,358 
			 Egypt 1,179 
			 Mexico 1,103 
			 Lebanon 894 
			 Guyana 889 
			 Poland 864 
			 Iran 863 
			 Belarus 852 
			 Colombia 786 
			 Indonesia 759 
			 Taiwan 735 
			 Malawi 620 
			 Uganda 579 
			 Botswana 557 
			 Cameroon 540 
			 Moldova 527 
			 Jordan 514 
			 Yugoslavia 505 
			 Hungary 491 
			 Croatia 473 
			 Tanzania 448 
			 Sierra Leone 436 
			 Venezuela 421 
			 Morocco 415 
			 Syrian Arab Republic 411 
			 Czech Republic 382 
			 Myanmar 366 
			 Swaziland 359 
			 Saudi Arabia 324 
			 Sudan 322 
			 Kazakhstan 321 
			 Algeria 305 
			 Chile 305 
			 Cyprus 298 
			 Switzerland 297 
			 Vietnam 293 
			 Barbados 292 
			 Libya 289 
			 Serbia 271 
			 Cuba 251 
			 Slovakia 247 
			 Albania 224 
			 Lesotho 224 
			 Namibia 210 
			 Gambia 198 
			 Tunisia 197 
			 Peru 189 
			 Azerbaijan 175 
			 Macedonia 163 
			 St. Lucia 161 
			 Seychelles 153 
			 Iraq 151 
			 Latvia 149 
			 Lithuania 147 
			 Uzbekistan 133 
			 Georgia 132 
			 Palestine 114 
			 Malta 108 
			 Senegal 104 
			 Congo 99 
			 Angola 94 
			 St. Vincent 89 
			 Brunei 86 
			 Kuwait 85 
			 Ethiopia 81 
			 Armenia 77 
			 BosniaHerzegovina 74 
			 Grenada 69 
			 British Overseas Citz. 68 
			 Ecuador 68 
			 Mongolia 66 
			 Dominica 65 
			 Costa Rica 64 
			 Uruguay 64 
			 Fiji 61 
			 Estonia 58 
			 Kyrgyzstan 55 
			 Afghanistan 50 
			 Slovenia 49 
			 Bahrain 47 
			 Oman 47 
			 Bolivia 45 
			 Ivory Coast 44 
			 Mali 43 
			 Dominican Republic 42 
			 St. Helena 40 
			 United Arab Emirates 40 
			 Belize 36 
			 Bahamas 31 
			 Turkmenistan 30 
			 Somalia 29 
			 Yemen Republic Of 28 
			 Samoa 27 
			 Maldives 26 
			 Panama 25 
			 Mozambique 24 
			 Tonga 24 
			 Kosovo 23 
			 Togo 23 
			 British Dependant Terr 21 
			 Antigua 20 
			 Guatemala 20 
			 Paraguay 20 
			 Tadzikhistan 20 
			 Honduras 19 
			 El Salvador 18 
			 Nauru 18 
			 St. Kitts 16 
			 Niger 15 
			 Rwanda 15 
			 Gabon 13 
			 Haiti 13 
			 Qatar 13 
			 Burundi 12 
			 Liberia 12 
			 Palestinian Authority 12 
			 Papua New Guinea 12 
			 Benin 11 
			 Eritrea 10 
			 Mauritania 10 
			 Burkina Faso 9 
			 Guinea 8 
			 Monaco 8 
			 Cambodia 7 
			 Madagascar 7 
			 Montenegro 6 
			 Nicaragua 6 
			 Surinam 6 
			 Andorra 5 
			 Bermuda 4 
			 Bhutan 4 
			 Chad 4 
			 Zaire 4 
			 North Korea 3 
			 Sao Tome and Principe 3 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 3 
			 Vanuatu 3 
			 Burma 2 
			 Comoros 2 
			 Djibouti 2 
			 Soloman Islands 2 
			 Central African Republic 1 
			 Kiribati 1 
			 Laos 1 
			 Western Samoa 1 
			 Total 416,909 
		
	
	'Valid' work permits refers to all work permits, which are currently active. These figures may not accurately equate to the actual number of work permit holders currently working in the UK as some permit holders may never have entered the UK or may have returned overseas without informing Work Permits (UK). The validity of a work permit varies depending on the circumstances, but may be for a period of up to five years.
	The figures quoted are not national statistics. They are based on provisional management information and may be subject to change.

Young Offenders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff were employed in the  (a) private and  (b) public sector in the case of vulnerable and at risk children and young adults in custody in the last year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: It is not possible to identify separately the staff in custodial establishments who work with vulnerable or at risk young people.

IT Contracts

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the value was of each IT contract awarded by his Department in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case.

Beverley Hughes: Such information is not held centrally within the Department for Education and Skills. To respond fully would involve an extensive information collection exercise which could be completed only at disproportionate cost.
	However, I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children Young People and Families (Maria Eagle) on 13 June 2005,  Official Report, column 192W, and 3 November 2005,  Official Report, column 1314W.

Literacy/Numeracy Targets

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of children in  (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and  (b) Sunderland city council area met the Government's literacy and numeracy targets in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Government have set itself the following Public Service Agreement targets for literacy and numeracy:
	 Raise standards in English and mathematics so that:
	By 2006, 85 per cent. of 11 year olds achieve Level 4 or above, with this level of performance sustained to 2008; and
	By 2008, the proportion of schools in which fewer than 65 per cent. of pupils achieve Level 4 or above separately in English and mathematics is reduced by 40 per cent. and
	By 2007: 85 per cent. of 14 year olds achieve Level 5 or above in English, mathematics and ICT (80 per cent in science) nationally, with this level of performance sustained until 2008; and
	By 2008: in all schools at least 50 per cent. of pupils achieve Level 5 or above in each of English, mathematics and science.
	The information for Houghton and Washington East constituency and Sunderland local authority (LA) is as follows. In addition national figures have been supplied for comparison.
	 Key Stage 2
	
		
			   Houghton and Washington East 
			   English  Mathematics 
			   Number of eligible pupils( 1)  Number achieving Level 4 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above( 2)  Number of eligible pupils( 1)  Number achieving Level 4 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above( 2) 
			 1997 1,088 604 55.5 1,088 658 60.5 
			 1998 1,124 728 64.8 1,124 675 60.1 
			 1999 1,071 743 69.4 1,071 749 69.9 
			 2000 1,076 793 73.7 1,076 786 73.0 
			 2001 1,089 812 74.6 1,089 770 70.7 
			 2002 1,143 845 73.9 1,143 840 73.5 
			 2003 1,085 808 74.5 1,085 816 75.2 
			 2004 1,097 860 78.4 1,097 857 78.1 
			 2005 1,040 799 76.8 1,040 774 74.4 
		
	
	
		
			   Sunderland LA 
			   English  Mathematics 
			   Number of eligible pupils( 1)  Number achieving Level 4 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above( 2)  Number of eligible pupils( 1)  Number achieving Level 4 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above( 2) 
			 1997 3,953 2,354 59.5 3,952 2,476 62.7 
			 1998 3,956 2,511 63.5 3,956 2,339 59.1 
			 1999 3,940 2,688 68.2 3,942 2,671 67.8 
			 2000 3,842 2,772 72.1 3,843 2,709 70.5 
			 2001 3,817 2,751 72.1 3,817 2,662 69.7 
			 2002 3,919 2,779 70.9 3,920 2,830 72.2 
			 2003 3,903 2,782 71.3 3,903 2,775 71.1 
			 2004 3,566 2,725 76.4 3,566 2,662 74.6 
			 2005 3,515 2,743 78.0 3,515 2,577 73.3 
		
	
	
		
			   National* 
			   English  Mathematics 
			   Number of eligible pupils( 1)  Number achieving Level 4 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above( 2)  Number of eligible pupils  Number achieving Level 4 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above( 2) 
			 1997 589.1 373.4 63.4 589.4 366.0 62.1 
			 1998 608.1 394.3 64.8 608.3 356.9 58.7 
			 1999 628.8 443.4 70.5 629.0 434.0 69.0 
			 2000 623.4 466.4 74.8 623.7 446.5 71.6 
			 2001 633.5 474.9 75.0 633.5 447.0 70.6 
			 2002 641.3 478.5 74.6 640.8 469.0 73.2 
			 2003 637.1 479.5 75.3 637.2 462.1 72.5 
			 2004 612.3 474.8 77.5 612.7 453.4 74.0 
			 2005 609.6 481.3 79.0 609.9 457.8 75.1 
			 (*) National figures are in thousands  (1) Number of pupils in all schools, including independent schools, at the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) with a valid result, including pupils working below the level of the test (B), unable to access the test (T), took the test but failed to register a level (N) or were absent (A).  (2) Pupils at the end of KS2 are expected to be working at Level 4 within their KS2 tests 
		
	
	 Key Stage 3
	
		
			   Houghton and Washington East 
			   English  Mathematics 
			   Number of eligible pupils( 1)  Number achieving Level 5 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above( 2)  Number of eligible pupils  Number achieving Level 5 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above( 2) 
			 1997 1,300 657 50.5 1,299 699 53.8 
			 1998 1,171 743 63.5 1,178 626 53.1 
			 1999 1,317 735 55.8 1,311 756 57.7 
			 2000 1,244 745 59.9 1,244 762 61.3 
			 2001 1,297 784 60.4 1,303 814 62.5 
			 2002 1,256 818 65.1 1,256 812 64.6 
			 2003 1,231 836 67.9 1,227 866 70.6 
			 2004 1,275 793 62.2 1,272 906 71.2 
			 2005 1,445 1,073 74.3 1,443 1,095 75.9 
		
	
	
		
			   Sunderland LA 
			   English  Mathematics 
			   Number of eligible pupils( 1)  Number achieving Level 5 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above( 2)  Number of eligible pupils  Number achieving Level 5 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above( 2) 
			 1997 3,773 1,960 51.9 3,769 1,923 51.0 
			 1998 3,600 2,103 58.4 3,635 1,873 51.5 
			 1999 3,895 2,335 59.9 3,887 2,127 54.7 
			 2000 3,864 2,361 61.1 3,872 2,258 58.3 
			 2001 3,939 2,517 63.9 3,941 2,385 60.5 
			 2002 3,881 2,409 62.1 3,877 2,364 61.0 
			 2003 3,794 2,461 64.9 3,770 2,425 64.3 
			 2004 3,801 2,431 64.0 3,790 2,603 68.7 
			 2005 3,925 2,712 69.1 3,921 2,761 70.4 
		
	
	
		
			   National* 
			   English  Mathematics 
			   Number of eligible pupils( 1)  Number achieving Level 5 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above( 2)  Number of eligible pupils  Number achieving Level 5 or above( 2)  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above( 2) 
			 1997 549.2 315.6 57.5 553.9 332.5 60.0 
			 1998 550.8 355.7 64.6 554.6 329.3 59.4 
			 1999 573.3 365.7 63.8 577.1 358.4 62.1 
			 2000 579.8 369.8 63.8 581.0 376.3 64.8 
			 2001 590.1 382.6 64.8 595.5 394.6 66.3 
			 2002 607.7 407.2 67.0 611.7 412.0 67.4 
			 2003 605.1 416.4 68.8 606.3 429.0 70.8 
			 2004 612.9 433.6 70.7 615.7 449.1 72.9 
			 2005 619.0 457.4 73.9 620.9 458.4 73.8 
			 * National figures are in thousands  (1) Number of pupils in all schools, including independent schools, at the end of Key Stage 3 (KS3) with a valid result, including pupils working below the level of the test (B), unable to access the test (T), took the test but failed to register a level (N) or were absent (A).  (2) Pupils at the end of KS3 are expected to be working at Level 5 or Level 6 within their KS3 tests

Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Parmjit Dhanda: In the last 12 months, The Secretary of State and his predecessor have made the following visits:
	
		
			  Region  Number of visits 
			 London 5 
			 North West 8 
			 North East 1 
			 South East 2 
			 South West 2 
			 West Midlands 7 
			 East of England 1 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1

Office of Government Commerce

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when the contract for legal services to the Office of Government Commerce is next likely to be subject to competitive tendering and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many organisations submitted bids for the provision of legal services to the Office of Government Commerce when it was last tendered and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Core legal services are provided to OGC by an in-house team of government lawyers. OGC has no plans to change this arrangement.
	Some additional legal services are supplied for specific projects within OGC on a case by case basis by external lawyers. These services are procured as and when required in accordance with the procurement rules applicable to the nature and value of the particular contract.
	A contract for the provision of professional legal services to OGC was signed with DLA in May 2003. No new work has been placed under this contract since December 2005. Information on the number of bidders is not available.

Railways

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list  (a) the consultants used in connection with the transfer of the Strategic Rail authority to DfT Rail,  (b) the (i) private finance initiative and (ii) public-private partnership external consultants used by (A) his Department and (B) each of its agencies and  (c) the external consultants used by (1) his Department and (2) each of its agencies, excluding public-private partnership and private finance initiative contracts, in 2005-06; and what the  (x) nature and  (y) cost of the work done by each consultant was in each case.

Derek Twigg: Information about external consultants used by the central Department and its Executive agencies have already been provided in response to a question from the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz), on 24 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1890W, and tables placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Where the central Department and its Executive agencies have used consultants in connection with the private finance initiative and public-private partnerships these tables have been revised to highlight this and placed separately in the Libraries. It should be noted that five Agencies (GCDA, VGA, MCA, DSA and DVLA) did not use PPP/PFI consultants during this period.
	It has not been possible to gather the data regarding the transfer of the Strategic Rail authority to DfT Rail Group. The central Department and its Agencies currently have separate accounting systems. This means that it has not been possible in all cases to provide the level of detail requested in relation to actual expenditure. The central Department and the DVLA have only been able to provide this information in relation to committed spend (i.e. orders raised and contracts awarded during the period in question).

British Waterways

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what funding British Waterways received from his Department in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07;
	(2)  what funding British Waterways will receive from his Department in each of the next three financial years.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 20 July 2006
	As part of the Spending Review 04 settlement, British Waterways was given an indicative grant allocation of 62.59 million for 2005-06 and 2006-07.
	However, following a number of pressures on DEFRA's budget, this figure has been reduced to55 million for 2006-07. A budget review exercise for 2007-08 is underway which is examining expenditure across the whole of DEFRA.

IT Contracts

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which IT contracts awarded by her Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the value was in each case.

Geoff Hoon: The only significant IT contract cancelled by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the last five years was the Focus Programme, as outlined in a written statement on 28 April 2003,  Official Report, column 2WS. The net cost of cancelling the relevant contract was 7 million, as set out by my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) in answer to a written question from the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 7 May 2003,  Official Report, column 738W.

Lebanon

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the extent of Hezbollah involvement in terrorist activity was last reviewed; and what the finding of the review were.

Geoff Hoon: The Government are keeping Hezbollah's activities under constant and active review. We have condemned Hezbollah's recent actions. Hezbollah's External Security Organisation has been a proscribed organisation in the UK since 2001. As my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety (Mr. McNulty) told the House on 20 July 2006,  Official Report, column 490, the list of proscribed organisations is kept under constant review.

Lebanon

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which countries the Government have held discussions on the possibility of a new United Nations force for Lebanon; and with which other countries discussions are planned.

Geoff Hoon: There are ongoing meetings in New York on details of the new United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. A number of countries have indicated a willingness to contribute. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has spoken to UN Secretary General Annan as well as his Lebanese, French and Italian counterparts. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has also been in regular touch with her US and Egyptian counterparts.
	During my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Middle East, Kim Howells, visit to the region on 22 to 24 July, he discussed this with his Lebanese, Israeli and Jordanian interlocutors. More recently my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed this matter with the French Foreign Minister.
	We also remain in regular contact at official level with our international partners.

Middle East

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to visit the Middle East.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary continues to be engaged with developments in the Middle East and will travel to the region soon. On 21 July my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, visited Cyprus to see British evacuation operations and meet British nationals who have been evacuated from Lebanon. On 22-24 July my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Middle East (Dr. Howells) visited the region. On 22 July he met with Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora and Lebanese Foreign Minister Salloukh and others. On 23 July he met Palestinian President Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Livni to raise our concerns about the situation. On 24 July, he also visited Amman meeting with Jordanian Prime Minister Bakhit and his Royal Highness Prince Faisal.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister intends to visit the region, in particular Israel and Palestine, over the coming period, and will consult those there and of course members of the Quartet on the best way forward. Our priority must be to create the conditions for an early resumption of negotiations based on the Quartet Roadmap. Negotiation is the only viable way to bring peace and prosperity to the people throughout the Middle East.

UN Small Arms and Light Weapons Review

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the UN Small Arms and Light Weapons Review conference; which  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from her Department attended the conference; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: It was very disappointing that the UN Small Arms Review Conference failed to agree an outcome document. However, we made progress on our main objectives. We secured consensus language on small arms transfer controls and increased support for integrating small arms control and armed violence reduction measures into development assistance.
	My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas, represented the UK at the High Level Segment of the Conference, supported by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence.

US-UK Extradition Treaty

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations she has received on the US-UK Extradition Treaty in 2006.

Ian McCartney: The hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Blunt) raised concerns about the US-UK Extradition Treaty during a debate in this House on 21 March 2006,  Official Report, column 166, following which my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) wrote to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on 20 April about the matter. A copy of that letter has been placed in the Library of the House.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not received any representations about the US-UK Extradition Treaty.

Bankruptcy

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have declared themselves bankrupt in  (a) the UK,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Dunfermline and West Fife in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DTI only has responsibility for bankruptcies within England and Wales.
	The following table shows the number of bankruptcy orders in England and Wales in each year since 1997.
	
		
			  England and Wales bankruptcy orders 
			   Number 
			 1997 19,892 
			 1998 19,647 
			 1999 21,611 
			 2000 21,550 
			 2001 23,477 
			 2002 24,292 
			 2003 28,021 
			 2004 35,898 
			 2005 47,291

DNA Sequences

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if he will require companies to check the use to which DNA sequences ordered from them are to be put prior to their dispatch to customers;
	(2)  if he will take steps  (a) to license suppliers of DNA sequences and  (b) to screen customers for the legitimacy of their proposed use of DNA sequences.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answers 26 June 2006
	There are no specific regulations that govern the sale, supply, or purchase of DNA sequences. The potential chemical hazards associated with the sequence itself would be covered by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended); if DNA sequences were to be used to create a biological agent, the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000 (as amended) are likely to apply. These provide for a high level of protection for human health and the environment (including animal and plant health). In addition, the Specified Animal Pathogens Order 1998 (SAPO), administered by DEFRA, regulates possession of nucleic acid derived from any animal pathogen specified under SAPO, In all cases the relevant containment and operating requirements laid down by HSE/Defra would need to be met.
	Provisions in the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 place an obligation on managers of laboratories and other premises holding specified pathogens or toxins to notify the authorities and to comply with the security requirements which the police may impose.
	There is a wide range of legitimate uses to which DNA sequences may be put and the imposition of onerous controls could discourage valuable scientific research and industry use. The Government do not believe that it is necessary to require suppliers of DNA sequences to be licensed or for them to screen customers or check the intended use of the sequences. But we will continue to monitor the situation as the relevant technologies develop.

Parliamentary Questions

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many written questions to his Department remained unanswered at 25 July for between  (a) two and four weeks,  (b) between four and six weeks,  (c) between six and eight weeks and  (d) more than eight weeks; and how many in each category were tabled for named day answer.

Alistair Darling: According to the Department's parliamentary database the total number of unanswered parliamentary questions as at 25 July was 123.
	Of these 100 were tabled for answer within the last 10 working days.
	Those remaining unanswered questions between two and four weeks is eight, of which only one was a named day question.
	Unanswered questions between four and six weeks is six, of which only one was a named day question.
	Unanswered questions between six and eight weeks is nine, of which named day questions totalled two.
	The Department aims to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of them being tabled. This is not always possible but the Department makes every effort to achieve this.

Renewable Energy

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much subsidy was paid to co-firing generators using wood supplies through the Renewables Obligation Certification Scheme in  (a) 2002 and  (b) 2005 and what estimate his Department has made of subsidy costs to co-firing generators in 2008.

Malcolm Wicks: Under the Renewables Obligation, electricity suppliers can meet up to a specified percentage of their obligation through co-firing. In 2002-03 and 2005-06, this was 25 per cent. and will be 10 per cent. for 2008-09.

Renewable Energy

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the UK's total biomass requirements were supplied from harvesting of energy crops in 2005-06 and what he expects this percentage to be in 2012.

Malcolm Wicks: Short rotation coppice and miscanthus accounted for approximately 0.1 per cent. of the biomass co-fired in the 2005-06 Renewables Obligation compliance period1 April to 31 May. The Government do not hold data on the use of energy crops in dedicated biomass plant.
	The Government are keen to encourage the greater use of energy crops in co-firing and the recent Energy Review Report (http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review/page31995.html) contains a number of proposals in this area. These will be subject to further consultation.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 864-65W, on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive what assessment he has made of the extent to which  (a) the UK interpretation by the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML), as the appointed enforcement agency for RoHS, conforms with his Department's published guidance material,  (b) his Department's guidance conforms with the European Commission's original intent and  (c) the NWML guidance conforms with the European Commission's original intention for the Directive and which guidance is to take precedence in the UK for the RoHS Directive. [R]

Malcolm Wicks: As I said in my earlier answer, the only legally binding texts are the Directive and UK Regulations. The European Commission and the UK Government have each issued non-statutory guidance documents that aim to clarify the intent of the original legislation. NWML will enforce the RoHS Directive in line with the UK RoHS Regulations (SI 2006 No. 1463).

Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 864-65W, on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive what assessment he has made of the UK interpretation by the National Weights and Measures Laboratory as the appointed enforcement agency for RoHS, of the parts of the European Commission's Frequently Asked Questions document relating to the exemption of fixed industrial manufacturing machinery as large-scale stationary industrial tools; and if he will ask the Commission to provide him with a report on whether guidance in that document is applied consistently across all member states. [R]

Malcolm Wicks: Large-scale stationary industrial tools are specifically mentioned as being outside the scope of Category 6 of the RoHS and WEEE Directives. The term 'fixed installations' does not appear in the Directive, but derives from Article 2 (1) of the WEEE Directive. In its Frequently Asked Questions non-binding guidance document, the European Commission refers to the definition of fixed installation that has been developed in connection to the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive and lists them as outside scope.
	Following discussions held in Brussels, the UK has understood that 'fixed installations' is a general derogation applying across all the categories in both Directives. Recently this understanding has been discussed by the Technical Adaptation Committee of Member States that is chaired by the Commission. It will now be up to the Commission to decide whether or not to revise their Frequently Asked Questions document, but as it stands that document currently reflects the UK's understanding.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 864-65W, on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive if he will ask the Commission to assess whether the actions of  (a) Germany  (b) Spain and  (c) other member states on the exemption of fixed industrial manufacturing machinery as large-scale stationary industrial tools are in conformity with the Directive and what assessment he has made of whether the National Weights and Measures Laboratory's guidance goes beyond the requirements imposed by the Restrictions of Hazardous Substances Directive. [R]

Malcolm Wicks: Since RoHS is a Single Market Directive (based on Article 95 of the EU Treaty) that aims to harmonize member states' legislation on the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, it should be implemented in the same way across the European Union.
	Large-scale stationary industrial tools are specifically excluded from the scope of RoHS. The term 'fixed installations' does not appear in the text of the Directive, but in the European Commission's non-legally binding guidance document. This definition is currently under review but as it stands it reflects the UK's understanding.
	NWML enforce the RoHS Directive in line with the UK RoHS Regulations (SI 2006 No. 1463), taking due regard to both the European Commission and UK Government's guidance documents.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed on girls aged  (a) 10,  (b) 11,  (c) 12,  (d) 13,  (e) 14,  (f) 15,  (g) 16 and  (h) 17 years of age in 2005; and how many were performed to save the life of the pregnant woman.

Caroline Flint: The information is set out in statistical bulletin 2006/01, Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2005 copies of which are available in the Library and also on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/68/59/04136859.pdf.
	For confidentiality reasons, no further age and ground breakdowns are available other than the detail published in the bulletin.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of women having an abortion in 2005 were married at the time of the abortion; what the statistical mode figures were for  (a) the age of the woman,  (b) the gestation of the pregnancy,  (c) the number of previous children born to the woman and  (d) the number of previous abortions undergone by the woman; and what the most common legal grounds were under which the abortion was performed.

Caroline Flint: In 2005, 17 per cent. of women having terminations were recorded as married. For all women residents in England and Wales the statistical mode in 2005 for:
	age, was 20 years;
	gestation, was eight weeks;
	number of previous children, was no previous children; and
	number of previous abortions, was no previous abortion.
	The most common ground (96 per cent. of all abortions) was that the pregnancy has not exceeded its 24(th) week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in  (a) Essex and  (b) Bedford and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority had an abortion in 2005 who already had had (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five or more previous abortions.

Caroline Flint: The information is set out in the following table.
	Number of previous terminations(1) to women resident in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and Essex Strategic Health Authorities having terminations in 2005
	
		
			   Number of previous terminations  
			  SHA  0  1  2  3  4 and more ( 2)  Total 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 3,484 1,302 297 83 41 5,207 
			 Essex 3,463 1,146 325 84 29 50,47 
			 (1) This is across the duration of a woman's reproductive life-cycle (approximately ages 15-49)(2) Group shown for totals 10 or more, in accordance with guidance from the Office for National Statistics

Accident and Emergency Services

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1548W, on accident and emergency services; if she will list the hospitals in each category.

Rosie Winterton: National health service trusts self-report the number of accident and emergency (A and E) services they provide against definitions set by the Department for the three types of A and E. The Department does not collect information at the level of individual hospitals. My reply on 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 707W, on A and E services, gave the number of A and E departments, by trust and by type.

Accident Reporting

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of the introduction of greater commercial pressures on healthcare providers in the NHS on the reporting of accidents and systems failure.

Andy Burnham: The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment. However, patient safety and clinical quality remains at the heart of the national health service reforms and the changes will strengthen the incentives on provider organisations to improve the clinical quality of the services they offer to patients. Experience from leading-edge organisations in the United Kingdom and other countries shows that safe care is also efficient care.
	The responsible regulator will be assessing all providers against core standards of safety and quality. This assessment will include ensuring that providers have robust processes for continuous improvement of their safety, including local reporting and analysis of patient safety incidents and full participation in the national reporting and learning system. The National Patient Safety Agency will continue to work with NHS trusts to promote a culture of continuous quality improvement; reporting patient adverse events and near misses is a key component of that culture.
	Commissioners may also wish to incorporate quality standards into their contracts with providers, and we will be publishing information on quality indicators to help inform patient choice. These could in future include objective measures of patient safety and clinical outcomes. Extensive comparable information on the quality and safety of care will give patients and commissioners a real understanding of the quality and services available.

Alzheimer's Disease

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what tests are used to determine whether a patient is in the  (a) mild,  (b) moderate and  (c) severe stages of Alzheimer's; and how each stage is medically differentiated.

Ivan Lewis: A clinical judgment is based on several factors. These include a clinician's interview with the patient, and information from carers and others about factors such as memory and behaviour. On the basis of this information, the clinician makes a medical judgment on the stage of Alzheimer's reached. These judgments are often informed by mini mental state examination scores. In research, a number of other skills are additionally used.

Ambulance Service

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time to an emergency call to the Ambulance Service was in  (a) Ruislip-Northwood constituency and  (b) each London borough in 2005-06.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not held in the format requested as the Department collects ambulance response time data by ambulance trust rather than by London boroughs. However, the following table shows the percentage of calls responded to within 8 to 14 minutes for the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAT).
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Category A calls responded within eight minutes LAT - 76.6(1) 
			 Category A calls responded within 14/19 minutes LAT - 95.9(1) 
			 Category B/C calls responded within 14/19 minutes LAT - 78.8(2) 81.2(3) 
			 (1) April 2004 to March 2005(2) April to September(3) October to March

Ambulance Service

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all ambulance trusts meet national response time requirements.

Rosie Winterton: The Department sets national response time requirements for ambulance trusts and works with the Healthcare Commission to ensure that both ambulance trusts, and primary care trusts, as commissioners of ambulance services, are assessed on performance against these requirements.
	The Department performance manages trusts through strategic health authorities.
	The Department has made available advice and tools to support trusts, both directly, and through the Modernisation Agency. In addition, in 2008, changes to performance reporting will be introduced, which will align the reported response times more closely to patients' experience. To support trusts in preparing for this change, the Department is currently providing support to ambulance trusts through the provision of advice and specialist support, and the sharing of data, analysis and best practice.
	The Department is also operating a 25 million capital incentive scheme during 2006-07. A similar scheme also operated in 2004-05.

Anorexia

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) male and  (b) female patients were hospitalised for anorexia in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2005; and what steps are being taken (A) to treat and (B) to prevent anorexia.

Rosie Winterton: Information on finished consultant episodes of patients with a primary diagnosis of anorexia in 1999-2000 and 2004-05 is shown in the table.
	In order to improve the identification, treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published a clinical guideline on the core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders in 2004. The guideline covers physical and psychological treatments, treatment with medicines, and what kinds of services best help people with eating disorders. It also includes information specifically for patients, carers and the public.
	The Department's five year initiative to tackle stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health issues in England, Shift, works with young people and professionals to promote awareness of all mental health problems including eating disorders.
	The Department also supports voluntary organisations such as the Eating Disorders Association to provide information and advice for people with mental health problems in England through the mental health help lines partnership project.
	
		
			  Primary diagnosis (4 char)  R630 anorexia/F500 anorexia nervosa/F501 atypical anorexia nervosa  
			  Gender  Age group  Finished consultant episodes (FCEs) 
			  Mean and median results   
			  2004-05   
			 Male All ages 7,432 
			 Female All ages 10,269 
			 Total  17,701 
			
			  1999-2000   
			 Male All ages 7,256 
			 Female All ages 9,583 
			 Total  16,839 
			  Notes:1. Finished consultant episode (FCE):An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.2. All diagnoses count of episodes:These figures represent a count of all FCEs where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episodes Statistics record.

Audiology Services

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the extent to which the exclusion of direct referrals to audiology services from the 18-week waiting time target is consistent with the national service framework for older people.

Ivan Lewis: We recognise that older people are the largest users of audiology devices and therefore have a particular interest in waiting times for audiology services. The national service framework (NSF) for older people includes hearing as one of the senses to be investigated in assessing an older person's health and social care needs. One of the aims of the Healthy Ageing programme, in 'A New Ambition for Old Age', which updates the NSF, is to reduce hearing impairment as a barrier to active ageing.
	Audiology and adult hearing services in particular are mainly accessed directly by primary care and are predominantly outside the scope of the 18-week pathway, which is focused on changing traditional hospital consultant pathways. A separate national action plan is being developed on improving access to adult hearing services. The needs of older people and the NSF commitments will be taken into consideration in relation to the action plan.

Audiology Services

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. member for Solihull (Lorely Burt) of 29 June 2006,  Official Report, column 604W on audiology services, when she expects the data to be published.

Ivan Lewis: A written ministerial statement was made on 12 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 69-70WS announcing that data on diagnostic waiting times had been released and published on the Department's website at: www.performance.doh.gov.uk/diagnostics/index.htm. This first publication of diagnostic waiting time figures will become a regular monthly release.

Audiology Services

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury of 19 April 2006,  Official Report, column 732W, on audiology, when she expects to publish the results for the 2006 vacancy survey.

Rosie Winterton: The 2006 national health service workforce vacancy survey was published on 27 July 2006. It is available on the Information Centre for health and social care website at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/vacsurveyresmar2006.
	Copies have been placed in the Library.

Autism

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parents who are carers for children with autism in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) the area corresponding as closely as possible to Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency have received carers grants since 2001.

Ivan Lewis: This Government introduced the carers grant in 1999 to support councils in providing breaks and other services for carers in England. The grant is not paid to individuals but paid each year to councils as a specific formula grant. Councils can use the grant to provide a range of services for carers in their area depending on local demand and need. This may include parents caring for children with autism.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken since October 2005 to ensure that free, fresh, chilled drinking water is available to all care home residents throughout the day.

Ivan Lewis: The Care Homes Regulations state that homes must provide, in adequate quantities, suitable, wholesome and nutritious food which is varied and properly prepared and available at such time as may reasonably be required by service users. Food, in the regulations, includes drink.
	The review of the national minimum standards for care homes, which the Commission for Social Care Inspection must take into account when inspecting care homes, is ongoing and will be subject to public consultation in due course. The issue of availability of drinking water to residents is being considered as part of the review.
	As part of the Heatwave Plan for England 2006, the Department has issued Supporting Vulnerable People before and during a heatwaveadvice for care home managers and staff. This is a fact-sheet, containing advice on preparation for and dealing with the effects of a heat wave on care home residents. It includes guidance on identifying those most at risk, monitoring residents' fluid intake, particularly if they are unable to drink unaided and ensuring that water and ice are widely available.

Chemotherapy/Radiotherapy

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients travelling for outpatient radiotherapy treatment did so  (a) fewer than 10 times,  (b) between 10 and 20 times,  (c) between 21 and 30 times,  (d) between 31 and 40 times,  (e) between 41 and 50 times,  (f) between 51 and 60 times and  (g) over 60 times in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: Radiotherapy treatment is often fractionated, i.e. given over a number of days. This allows large doses of radiation to be given whilst sparing normal tissue from too many side effects. Generally, radical treatments, with the aim of curing a patient, are given in more treatment fractions than palliative treatment, for symptom control.
	The fractions, that is the number of visits for treatment, patients should be offered is a matter for the clinical judgement. The prescription will depend on the type of cancer and the intention of the treatment.
	The Department does not have reliable information to answer this question at the present time. However, we are in the process of developing a radiotherapy episodes statistics system which should be able to provide this information in the future.

Child Health Interim Application

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent the working of the child health interim application has been affected by problems with  (a) computer processes and  (b) manual supporting processes.

Caroline Flint: The child health interim application (CHIA) is itself a collection of computer and manual supporting processes. The CHIA system was implemented following the withdrawal of the previous Richs child health system. As a consequence of the migration there have been some validation and coding difficulties which are currently being addressed by Connecting for Health, the strategic health authority and the contractor (BT).
	There are also some current issues with links required to other computer systems, which are also being addressed. Manual systems have been implemented to continue to provide some of the services that were available previously.

Child Obesity

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact on obesity levels of children  (a) watching television and  (b) using computers and other game consoles;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the impact of television advertising promoting sedentary activities on children's obesity levels.

Caroline Flint: The Department has made no formal assessment of the impact that sedentary behaviour such as watching television or using computers or other game consoles has on obesity levels in children. However, a large scale cross-national body of survey-based research conducted on children and on teenagers is emerging, which generally shows a moderate correlation between the amount of television viewed and children's diet or health.
	Although there is no clear United Kingdom evidence that obese children are more likely to have low levels of physical activity compared to non-obese children, there is plenty of evidence showing that high levels of sedentary behaviour such as watching television or playing computer games is predictive of being obese and overweight.
	The correlation could be because watching television or playing computer games does not expend any energy; in fact, it may even depress the metabolic rate. The correlation could also be owing to television and playing computer games substituting physical exercise or because children watch television while eating food and drinks that are high in fat and sugar.
	As part of its work on developing a healthy living campaign, the Department is currently looking into what correlations there may be between obesity and sedentary behaviour. It has not found any clear evidence of the impact on obesity of television or video gaming but has made an intuitive assessment of a possible correlation, which has been supported by stakeholder and expert groups as part of a focus area review.

Child Vaccinations

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the level of child vaccinations in London.

Caroline Flint: The latest annual estimate of childhood vaccines was published in the Statistical bulletin NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 2004-05. A copy has been placed in the Library and is also available on The Information Centre for health and social care's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/immunisaton05/04119650.pdf/file.
	Some problems have been encountered recently in collecting data on childhood vaccinations in London. We are exploring how these problems can be rectified.
	Quarterly data is published by the Health Protection Agency in CDR weekly and is available on their website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/vaccination/vac_cover.htm
	A copy has been placed in the Library.

Choose and Book

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2006,  Official Report, column 321W, on choose and book, what information she collects from  (a) primary care trusts,  (b) acute trusts and  (c) strategic health authorities on their allocation of budgets for choose and book.

Ivan Lewis: None.

Choose and Book

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2006,  Official Report, column 321W on Choose and Book, what assessment her Department has made of the likely financial impact of the Choose and Book system programme on local trusts and authorities.

Ivan Lewis: Choose and Book will help commissioners and providers to manage resources efficiently by providing real-time information about demand in terms of referrals. The effect of this in a particular area depends on the response of managers and clinicians to the available information.
	In terms of implementation costs, primary care trusts (PCTs) are being reimbursed for the short-term cost of upgrading existing general practitioner practice systems so that they align with Choose and Book. PCTs have also received centrally funded support to resolve technical issues, and to pay for the necessary project management resource required locally. Funding is also available for acute trusts to support a technical upgrade to existing patient administration systems to make them align with Choose and Book.

Community Hospitals

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) letters and  (b) other representations her Department has received on (i) Cranleigh Village Hospital and (ii) the future of Royal Surrey County Hospital.

Caroline Flint: A search of the Department's correspondence database shows that there were approximately 38 completed cases on Cranleigh Village Hospital between September 2005 and to date. There were approximately 47 completed cases on Royal Surrey County Hospital between September 2005 and to date.
	On 27 July 2005, my noble Friend, the Minister of State for NHS Reform (Lord Warner) had a meeting with a delegation to discuss Cranleigh Village Hospital. On 30 August 2005, my noble Friend wrote to Baroness Sharp of Guildford about Cranleigh Village Hospital, and on 26 April 2006, my noble Friend received a letter from Baroness Sharp of Guildford about this issue.

Community Hospitals

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she plans to take to ensure that community hospitals can provide a comprehensive service to people who have  (a) multiple sclerosis and  (b) other complex and fluctuating conditions.

Andy Burnham: Decision making on specific local healthcare provision, including services for people who have multiple sclerosis and other complex and fluctuating conditions, is a matter for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in consultation with the local population.
	However, the Department expects national health service organisations to adhere to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on multiple sclerosis care, published in November 2003, and the national service framework for long-term conditions, published in March 2005.

Community Hospitals

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the number of community hospital beds likely to be needed in Gloucestershire over the next  (a) five and  (b) 10 years.

Andy Burnham: It is for primary care trust to assess and commission services to meet the needs of the populations that they serve.

Community Hospitals

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Oral Statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 826W, on community hospitals, 
	(1)  how many community hospitals have  (a) opened and  (b) closed in the Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority area since 1997; and how many are being considered for closure;
	(2)  how many community hospitals in the Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority area she assesses as having Victorian workhouse facilities.

Andy Burnham: No community hospitals have been either opened or closed in the former Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority area since 1997. NHS West Midlands reports that only one community hospital in the area, Westcliffe hospital operated by North Stoke primary care trust, is assessed as having Victorian workhouse facilities.

Continuing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 27 June 2006,  Official Report, column 321W, on continuing care, if she will provide the information broken down by  (a) strategic health authority and  (b) primary care trust.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 14 July 2006,  Official Report, column 2150W, on dentistry, if she will make a statement on the position at the end of May; and when she intends to publish information relating to the end of June.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of contracts signed in dispute that were still in dispute as of 31 May and 30 June, and the proportion of the total contracts signed that this represents by strategic health authority was made available on 4 August and is available at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/dental_contracts Copies have also been placed in the Library.

Dentistry

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the gross cost was of  (a) dental fees for items of service and  (b) dental treatments in each of the last five years; and how much of the cost was borne by patients (i) in total and (ii) as a percentage of the overall cost in (A) England and (B) each region.

Rosie Winterton: The main element of national health service dental services in the last five years has been the primary dental care services provided by dentists working within the general dental services (CDS) or personal dental services (PDS) pilots.
	The tables, which have been placed in the Library, show the available CDS data on gross item of service fees and patient registration payments, together with the cost of certain additional payments made to dental contractors, and patient charge income for CDS contracts in England and each strategic health authority area for the financial years 2001-02 to 2005-06. The data excludes certain elements of gross costs, such as employers' superannuation contributions, vocational trainee salaries and expenses, and the cost of salaried general dental practitioners and emergency dental services, where data is not readily available in this localised format.
	The PDS pilots were generally not based on item of service fees but regular contract payments for defined services. Localised data on PDS expenditure is only available for the financial year 2004-05. The data includes regular PDS contract payments but excludes some additional payments authorised locally. It also excludes the cost of PDS services directly managed by NHS trusts such as some dental access centres. Data on PDS charge income may also be incomplete because some primary care trusts (PCTs) instituted temporary arrangements to collect charge income directly from dentists. These factors make it very difficult to make comparisons between the 2004-05 and 2005-06 data, when PDS pilot schemes rapidly expanded, and earlier periods.
	Charge income levels will have been influenced by the proportion of services delivered by PDS contractors, who until the reform of primary care services introduced from April 2006 were required to apply the patient charge regime originally designed for the item of service remuneration system operating within CDS. This patient charge regime was not sensitive to the new ways of working and treatment patterns associated with PDS contracts, and generally resulted in lower levels of charge income within PDS pilot schemes. In addition, as noted above, some PCTs have collected some patient charges direct from PDS dentists locally and this income may not be reflected in the centrally recorded data. All of these factors will have distorted the proportion of patient charge income recovered particularly in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Dentistry

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) fillings and  (b) extractions were carried out on children's teeth in (i) England and (ii) each region in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The spreadsheet provides data for the year ending 31 March 2002 for England and by health authority and for the years ending 31 March 2004, 2005 and 2006 for England and by strategic health authority.
	Information was not centrally analysed for 2002-03. This could now be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  General Dental Services (GDS) and Personal Dental Services (PDS): Number of fillings and extractions carried out on children's teeth in England by strategic health authority as at year ending 31 March 2004-31 March 2006 
			   Teeth filled  Teeth extracted 
			   2004  2005  2006  2004  2005  2006 
			 England 3,343,589 4,039,247 4,089,417 662,257 829,758 867,077 
			
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 119,452 158,090 146,862 23,527 28,726 27,631 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA 113,177 144,103 158,115 25,090 33,917 36,637 
			 Essex SHA 92,558 118,772 118,059 21,567 27,670 27,697 
			 North West London SHA 121,961 155,334 169,541 24,863 30,114 32,464 
			 North Central London SHA 92,317 119,781 118,478 15,763 19,655 20,221 
			 North East London SHA 132,772 172,385 179,513 25,663 33,922 34,131 
			 South East London SHA 111,610 145,516 142,081 19,583 24,860 24,630 
			 South West London SHA 83,318 104,945 113,895 14,228 18,457 18,101 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 117,992 137,451 121,743 16,888 21,315 19,740 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 111,088 131,880 122,541 21,488 25,918 26,142 
			 North and East Yorks and Northern Lincs SHA 103,086 119,438 116,112 21,922 25,997 25,880 
			 West Yorkshire SHA 180,180 211,079 187,146 34,198 42,972 48,257 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 139,212 161,740 155,680 26,441 33,874 31,886 
			 Greater Manchester SHA 217,933 230,926 232,711 36,968 42,425 45,756 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 161,502 142,952 175,445 35,160 36,816 48,308 
			 Thames Valley SHA 103,711 134,556 151,356 25,740 34,529 37,133 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA 104,768 123,547 121,060 18,322 21,765 22,135 
			 Kent and Medway SHA 112,951 136,339 141,587 26,761 31,712 33,451 
			 Surrey and Sussex SHA 158,011 197,306 196,914 31,846 40,193 40,676 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 132,987 171,479 165,955 26,316 35,017 34,708 
			 South West Peninsula SHA 108,090 114,977 130,300 18,936 21,663 28,027 
			 Dorset and Somerset SHA 70,777 86,761 87,064 12,693 15,362 16,710 
			 South Yorkshire SHA 108,404 122,846 112,415 17,934 23,867 22,135 
			 Trent SHA 156,460 182,314 181,995 34,647 43,544 43,253 
			 Leics, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 93,047 124,633 126,345 20,731 25,586 27,279 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 86,778 108,946 106,102 17,529 23,103 23,830 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country SHA 132,303 181,663 206,961 27,954 40,254 44,834 
			 Coventry, Warks, Herefordshire and Worc SHA 80,385 99,488 103,441 19,907 26,525 25,425 
			  Note:  Year ending March 2006 data are for PDS and GDS. All previous data are for GDS only.   Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care and NHS Business Services Authority 
		
	
	
		
			  General Dental Services (GDS): Number of fillings and extractions carried out on children's teeth in England by health authority as at year ending 31 march 2002 
			   Teeth filled  Teeth extracted 
			 England 4,831,587 936,844 
			
			  North   
			 Bradford 50,667 9,631 
			 Bury and Rochdale 44,592 8,280 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 77,339 12,796 
			 County Durham and Darlington 67,946 10,792 
			 East Lancashire 55,905 11,668 
			 East Riding and Hull 58,621 15,961 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 43,885 5,756 
			 Leeds 85,555 18,678 
			 Liverpool 50,527 11,682 
			 Manchester 62,731 8,992 
			 Morecambe Bay 28,794 5,917 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 52,794 6,298 
			 North Cheshire 27,549 5,473 
			 North Cumbria 36,356 4,637 
			 North West Lancashire 48,548 7,481 
			 North Yorkshire 74,004 13,918 
			 Northumberland 34,847 4,468 
			 Salford and Trafford 51,217 10,527 
			 Sefton 33,742 6,052 
			 South Cheshire 54,322 12,407 
			 South Lancashire 33,157 6,974 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 38,822 7,784 
			 Stockport 32,344 6,821 
			 Sunderland 40,164 6,027 
			 Tees 91,043 17,500 
			 Wakefield 41,755 7,574 
			 West Pennine 63,177 13,502 
			 Wigan and Bolton 70,750 12,236 
			 Wirral 36,264 7,898 
			
			  Midlands   
			 Barnsley 28,272 4,601 
			 Birmingham 82,727 18,583 
			 Coventry 22,838 4,994 
			 Doncaster 38,077 7,756 
			 Dudley 22,939 4,077 
			 Herefordshire 16,072 3,152 
			 Leicestershire 84,565 17,453 
			 Lincolnshire 37,684 9,952 
			 North Derbyshire 41,545 6,828 
			 North Nottingham 36,476 7,374 
			 North Staffordshire 49,893 7,903 
			 Nottingham 70,060 13,454 
			 Rotherham 25,092 5,133 
			 Sandwell 30,996 6,164 
			 Sheffield 63,109 9,135 
			 Shropshire 38,910 7,763 
			 Solihull 15,320 3,434 
			 South Derbyshire 45,664 10,559 
			 South Humber 28,292 6,294 
			 South Staffordshire 38,091 8,498 
			 Walsall 17,344 3,288 
			 Warwickshire 38,554 7,665 
			 Wolverhampton 20,555 3,890 
			 Worcestershire 35,000 10,290 
			
			  London   
			 Barking and Havering 42,307 8,692 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey 87,410 16,155 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich 76,326 15,073 
			 Brent and Harrow 60,184 13,789 
			 Camden and Islington 39,843 4,666 
			 Croydon 37,656 5,528 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 73,414 14,431 
			 East London and The City 89,325 15,348 
			 Hillingdon 22,628 3,846 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 24,027 3,248 
			 Kingston and Richmond 24,965 4,706 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 83,151 9,332 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 63,988 10,925 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 57,851 9,930 
			
			  South ex London   
			 Avon South 92,159 21,736 
			 Bedfordshire 50,560 10,436 
			 Berkshire 56,175 12,648 
			 Buckinghamshire 50,933 9,684 
			 Cambridge 51,860 11,625 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 52,805 7,318 
			 Dorset 55,109 9,637 
			 East Kent 69,473 12,558 
			 East Surrey 30,394 6,356 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 63,677 12,347 
			 Gloucestershire 44,329 9,346 
			 Hertfordshire 106,671 22,349 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 51,468 10,584 
			 Norfolk 62,203 10,900 
			 North and East Devon 40,741 9,225 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 41,643 8,581 
			 North Essex 79,342 16,365 
			 Northamptonshire 40,798 11,122 
			 Oxfordshire 45,132 9,250 
			 Somerset 42,795 8,174 
			 South and West Devon 63,891 12,193 
			 South Essex 72,575 16,411 
			 Southampton and SW Hampshire 43,870 8,313 
			 Suffolk 47,097 9,571 
			 West Kent 102,709 23,483 
			 West Surrey 48,232 10,041 
			 West Sussex 75,481 14,082 
			 Wiltshire 51,625 10,941 
			  Note:  These data are for GDS only.   Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care and NHS Business Services Authority

Dentistry

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) children,  (b) adults and  (c) the population in (i) England and (ii) each region were registered with a dentist in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The table showing the proportion of adults and children registered with a national health service dentist in England and by strategic health authority as at 30 March in each specified year has been placed in the Library. These data reflect the 15-month registration period that applied in the general dental services up until 31 March 2006 and therefore exclude some patients who attend less regularly and patients seen at dental access centres.

Dentistry

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are registered with NHS general dental practitioners in Selby and York primary care trust area; and how many were registered in each of the previous 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the number of national health service patients registered with an NHS dentist in Selby and York primary care trust as at 30 March in each specified year.
	
		
			  General dental services (CDS) and personal dental services (PDS) 
			   Number 
			 1997 145,339 
			 1998 151,068 
			 1999 145,579 
			 2000 146,529 
			 2001 150,105 
			 2002 151,931 
			 2003 155,321 
			 2004 160,357 
			 2005 154,513 
			 2006 152,471 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority. 
		
	
	Under the new dental system, the concept of registration no longer forms part of the remuneration system. The Department is introducing a comparable means of monitoring the number of patients covered by NHS dental services, but the transition to the new arrangements means that it will be the autumn before the new measure is available.
	Information will be available in due course via the NHS Business Services authority on the numbers of patients who receive care or treatment from NHS primary care dentists on one or more occasions within a given period. This will provide a measure that is broadly similar to that of patient registration under the former system of CDS. We expect the first information to be available in the autumn.

Dentistry

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid by the NHS to general dental practioners in Selby and York in each year since 1996-97  (a) in total and  (b) on average per NHS dentist.

Rosie Winterton: The main element of national health service dental services are the primary dental care services provided by dentists working within the general dental service (GDS), or personal dental service (PDS) pilots.
	The following table shows the available data on the main components of expenditure on these services within the Selby and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) from 1997-98 to 2005-06. Comparable localised data for previous years is not available. As the notes to the table record, certain other elements of GDS and PDS costs are also excluded because they are not readily available on a localised basis.
	Payments to dentists as shown in the following table represent remuneration for the provision of dental services. As independent contractors, dentists are responsible for meeting their own practice expenses. Remuneration levels reflect the volume of NHS work undertaken by dental contractors, which can vary from practice to practice and may not equate to a full time commitment to NHS services.
	
		
			  GDS and PDS payments to dentists in Selby and York PCT area from 1997-98 to 2005-06( 1,2,3,4,5) 
			   Gross NHS payment ( million)  Number of GDS/PDS dentists as at 30 September  Average gross NHS payment per dentist () 
			 1997-98 6.760 105 64,382 
			 1998-99 7.473 113 66,134 
			 1999-2000 7.982 117 68,225 
			 2000-01 8.354 117 71,405 
			 2001-02 8.908 128 69,590 
			 2002-03 9.439 131 72,056 
			 2003-04 9.792 136 72,001 
			 2004-05 10.007 136 73,582 
			 2005-06 11.545 148 78,006 
			 (1) Gross NHS payment is the sum of those GDS and PDS payments itemised in note 2 which were due to GDS and PDS contractors. Actual payments are made net of any patient charge revenue already collected by the dentists concerned and retained against the sums due. Some dentists may undertake work in more than one PCT area, but only earnings in Selby and York PCT area are included in this data.  (2) Total GDS payments include adult fees (including item of service and continuing care payments), child fees (including item of service and capitation payments), commitment payments and point of treatment check payment training (in 2001 only), seniority payments, maternity/paternity/adoptive leave payments, long term sick leave payments, continuing professional development allowances including travel hours, reimbursement of business rates, vocational training grants and clinical audit payments. The following costs are excluded from this data: employer's superannuation costs, vocational trainee salaries and National Insurance contribution costs, clinical audit convenors, clinical audit secretarial support costs and travel expenses, and costs associated with any salaried general dental practitioners and emergency dental services.  (3) PDS payments and PDS patient charge revenue data are included for 2004-05 and 2005-06 only. PDS payments relate to baseline payments or the agreed regular monthly payments made to PDS practices. Certain additional or supplementary payments may be excluded. Reliable PDS data at practice level are not available prior to 2004-05. The data cannot identify the cost of any PDS services that are directly managed by local NHS Trusts, such as certain dental access centres.  (4) Payments are assigned to areas on the basis of practice postcode data.  (5) Payment information at PCT level is not available prior to 1997-98.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited into her Department in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is shown in the following table. The figures represent full-time equivalent numbers of staff aged 55 and over.
	
		
			   Number of staff 
			 2003 10.5 
			 2004 9.6 
			 2005 15.2

Departmental Strategies

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing an urgent care strategy; what discussions her Department has had with other organisations to facilitate the development of the urgent care strategy; and who will draw up the urgent care strategy.

Andy Burnham: Work on the development of the urgent care strategy is in progress, and discussions are underway with a number of stakeholders.
	Our aim is to produce a consultation document later in the year.

Departmental Surveys

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what surveys her Department has carried out in each year since 1990; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The following details are in respect of statistical surveys. Full information requested cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
	The list of Department sponsored social surveys since 1990 is available at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/PublishedSurvey/fs/en.
	Since 1 April 2005, the following survey results were published by the Information Centre for health and social care and has been placed in the Library.
	Processes are in place to ensure that collections of information are appropriate for their purpose and minimise the burdens on those submitting the data.

Depression

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on  (a) drug treatments and  (b) therapeutic treatments for mild to severe depression in each year from 1997 to 2005 (i) in total and (ii) broken down by age.

Rosie Winterton: The total cost of antidepressant medicines prescribed by the national health service in England between 1997 and 2005 is shown in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1:- NHS anti-depressant prescription medications in England 1997 to 2005 
			   Value of antidepressant items prescribed on the NHS in England (000) 
			 1997 239,120,545 
			 1998 279,004,273 
			 1999 315,269,246 
			 2000 310,378,169 
			 2001 341,660,880 
			 2002 380,883,112 
			 2003 395,178,028 
			 2004 400,681,709 
			 2005 338,546,700 
			  Source:  Prescription pricing authority of the Business Services Authority (formerly known as the Prescription Pricing Authority) 
		
	
	Age-based prescription data covering all age groups is not available. This information is collected only for those age groups where prescription charge exemptions exist: zero to 15 years; 16 to 18 years and in full-time education; and people aged 60 years or over, but not for other age categories.
	Information about the spending on psychological therapies by the national health service in England is available for each year from 2001-02 to 2004-05 from the national survey of investment in mental health services reports and this is shown in Table 2. Information about spending on psychological therapies which were delivered in primary care is not held centrally by the Department, nor is information collected on spending on psychological therapies by age groups.
	
		
			  Table 2: National survey of investment in mental health services: planned spending on psychological therapies 
			   Planned spending on psychological therapy services by the NHS in England 2001-02 to 2005-06 (not primary care) (000) 
			 2001-02 103,471,000 
			 2002-03 122,052,000 
			 2003-04 129,352,000 
			 2004-05 141,378,000 
			 2005-06 142,047,000 
			 Source:  National survey of investment in mental health strategies 2001-02 to 2005-06

Diagnostic Tests/Treatment

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department's publication of data on diagnostic tests' waiting times, if she will publish overall waiting times for patients from GP referral to the start of treatment.

Andy Burnham: The national health service will be required to report referral to treatment times from January 2007. The Department will publish this data later in 2007.

Diagnostic Tests/Treatment

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2006,  Official Report, column 323W, on diagnostic treatment (independent sector), what the reasons are for the delay in the start date beyond that set out in Health reform in England: Update and next steps, published 13 December 2005.

Ivan Lewis: Discussions are drawing to a close with bidders on all seven regional diagnostic schemes. Full services are expected to be provided from next year, but the first scheme may begin to provide some services from November 2006. The commencement date has moved from October to better meet local national health service needs.

Drug Treatment Rehabilitation Places

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) residential and  (b) inpatient specialist drug treatment rehabilitation places there are in the northern region; and where each centre is located.

Caroline Flint: As there is no northern region as such, the following information represents the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber Government regions. Information relating to numbers of inpatient beds and treatment spaces is not available for any of these areas.
	 1. North West
	 Residential rehabilitation
	The National Treatment Agency's (NTA) online directory of residential rehabilitation services lists a total of 19 services located in the north west. The total number of beds in all of these services is 320.
	The services are located in Crumpsall, Oldham, Wirral, two services; Ramsbottom, Chester, two services; Gisburn, two services; St Anne's on Sea, two services; Lancaster, Prestwich, Middleton, Collyhurst, Blackburn, Rochdale and Workington.
	The total number of clients in residential rehabilitation in the north west in 2005-06, from national drug treatment monitoring system (NDTMS) was 624.
	 Inpatient treatment
	The NTA's recently-published review of inpatient treatment, Dr. Ed Day, 2005, found a total of 16 services providing inpatient treatment for drug misuse in the north west. These services are located in Oxton, Macclesfield, Gisburn, two services; Lancaster, Carlisle, Liverpool, Prestwich, Chester, two services; St Anne's on Sea, Biston, Hale, Preston, Ashton under Lyme and Collyhurst.
	The total number of clients in inpatient treatment in the north west in 2005-06, from NDTMS, was 1095.
	 2. North East
	 Residential rehabilitation
	The NTA's online directory of residential rehabilitation services lists a total of three services located in the north east. The total number of beds in all of these services is 86.
	The services are located in Middlesbrough, Tyne and Wear and Sunderland.
	The total number of clients in residential rehabilitation in the north east in 2005-06, from NDTMS, was 95.
	 Inpatient treatment
	The NTA's recently-published review of inpatient treatment, Dr. Ed Day, 2005, found a total of seven services providing inpatient treatment for drug misuse in the North East.
	These services are located in Consett, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, South Shields and Sunderland.
	The total number of clients in inpatient treatment in the north east in 2005-06, from NDTMS was 111.
	 3. Yorkshire and Humber
	 Residential rehabilitation
	The NTA's online directory of residential rehabilitation services lists a total of seven services located in Yorkshire and Humber. The total number of beds in all of these services is 176.
	The services are located in Scarborough, Harrogate, Bridlington, Sheffield, two services, Leeds and Hull.
	The total number of clients in residential rehabilitation in Yorkshire and Humber in 2005-06 from NDTMS was 287.
	 Inpatient treatment
	The NTA's recently-published review of inpatient treatment, Dr. Ed Day, 2005, found a total of 14 services providing inpatient treatment for drug misuse in Yorkshire and Humber. These services are located in Barnsley, York, Sheffield, three services, Bradford, two services, Harrogate, Doncaster, Scarborough, Northallerton, Dewsbury, Rotherham and Whitby.
	The total number of clients in inpatient treatment in Yorkshire and Humber in 2005-06, from NDTMS was 365.

Drugs

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on drugs for NHS  (a) in-patients and  (b) out-patients in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: The table shows the estimated list price cost of drugs issued to in-patients and out-patients in hospitals in each year from 2001 to 2005.
	
		
			  Estimated list price cost ( billion) of medicines issued in hospitals in England 
			  List price cost ( billion) 
			   In-patients  Out-patients 
			 2001 1.2 0.4 
			 2002 1.2 0.6 
			 2003 1.4 0.7 
			 2004 1.5 0.8 
			 2005 1.5 0.9 
		
	
	The information in the table does not take into account medicines prescribed in hospitals but dispensed in the community (on a FP10 (HP) form) or drugs dispensed in the community, primary care, in England.
	The estimated list price costs are based on published prices from the drug tariff and other standard price lists. Therefore this is not a true reflection of the actual expenditure by hospitals as most purchases are made on contract with individual manufacturers or wholesalers at lower prices.
	Hospitals assign drugs to inpatients/outpatients differently, for example take out drugs, therefore care must be taken with this data.

Echocardiography Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent work has been undertaken by her Department to define future demand for echocardiography services.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not undertaken any specific recent work to define future demand for echocardiography services. However, there is a national target that by 2008 all patients will be treated within 18 weeks from general practitioner referral, and this will include diagnostics such as echocardiography. Reducing waiting times for diagnostics is central to delivering the 18-week patient pathway and the national health service began measuring waiting times for long wait diagnostic tests for the first time this year to assess the scale of the 18-week challenge.

Emergency and Acute Admissions

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department provides to NHS Trusts on safe travelling times for  (a) heart attack and  (b) stroke patients for emergency admissions; how many hospitals in England accept acute admissions; and how many hospitals which accept acute admissions have people in their catchment area living more than one hour from the hospital.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 25 July 2006
	The national service framework (NSF) for coronary heart disease includes the recommendation that ambulance services put in place systems of care that transfer people with suspected heart attack to hospital in less than 30 minutes from the call. Response times are set for ambulance trusts to reach the scene of an incident.
	The NSF standard, which national health service organisations are working towards, is that people with heart attack are treated within 60 minutes of calling for professional help. In most parts of the country, ambulance trusts are training paramedics to treat patients with clot-busting drugs before arrival at hospital. 58 per cent. of patients are currently treated within 60 minutes of calling for help compared with 24 per cent. before the NSF.
	The Department has not issued guidance on safe travelling times for stroke patients. However, revised guidance on management of stroke for ambulance services is due to be issued by the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee.
	The Department does not collect hospital level data. Population data at hospital or trust level are not collected centrally as NHS trusts do not have specific catchment areas. However, the Department collects data that showed that 286 NHS organisations (NHS trusts, primary care trusts and care trusts) had beds in acute wards open overnight in England in 2004-05. This figure is not necessarily the number of trusts in England that accept acute admissions. Some trusts may accept acute admissions and not have a ward classified as acute.

Emergency Readmissions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency re-admissions there were in each quarter in 2005; and how many were of people aged  (a) 0 to 10,  (b) 11 to 18,  (c) 19 to 65,  (d) 66 to 75 and  (e) over 75.

Rosie Winterton: The information for 2005 is not yet available owing to primary care trust reconfiguration. It will be available once reconfiguration is complete.
	In future information on emergency re-admissions will not be available in the format requested. The data will be available on the National Centre for Health Outcomes Development (NCHOD) website at www.nchod.nhs.uk. The age ranges collected are 0 to 15, 16 to 74 and over 75 and NCHOD would normally produce annual not quarterly data.

Emissions Trading Scheme

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many carbon dioxide emissions permits have been allocated to hospitals; and what the emissions were for each NHS hospital included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in the first year of operation.

Andy Burnham: 107 hospitals from the United Kingdom were operating in the European Union emissions trading scheme in 2005. A total of 879,241 allowances were issued in 2005 to these hospitals. The total of verified carbon dioxide emissions for these hospitals is 939,256 tonnes.

Eye Disease

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of  (a) cataracts,  (b) cancer of the conjunctiva,  (c) pterygium and  (d) solar keratopathy resulting from exposure to sunlight; and what the estimated cost to the NHS was for the treatment of these conditions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The following table provides information on the finished consultants episodes (FCEs) for the four conditions identified in the question. It is not possible to separately identify the cost of the individual diagnoses relating to exposure to sunlight.
	
		
			  FCEs for 2004-05 for cataracts, cancer of the conjunctiva, pterygium and solar keratopathy 
			  Primary diagnosis  Total episodes 
			 Cataracts 314,077 
			 Cancer of the conjunctiva 279 
			 Pterygium 1,889 
			 Solar keratopathy 1,012 
			  Notes:  1. FCEs An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  2. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  3. Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfall in data (that is the data was ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the Information Centre for health and social care.

Eye Tests

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many eye tests were claimed for in  (a) England and  (b) each region in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of those who had eye tests subsequently received (i) spectacles for the first time and (ii) replacement or repairs of spectacles.

Rosie Winterton: The tables showing the numbers of national health services sight tests, optical vouchers and repairs and replacements claimed for in each of the last ten years for England and broken down by former strategic health authority area have been placed in the Library.
	The number of those who receive spectacles for the first time is not collected centrally.
	Vouchers are given to those in eligible groups to contribute towards the cost of spectacles or contact lenses. Eligible groups for repairs and replacements are children aged 16 and under, those in full time education under 19 and other low income groups.

Eye Tests

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average waiting time was for low vision assessments in  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) social services departments in (i) England and (ii) Shropshire in the last period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

Fabricated Illness (Children)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the purpose is of her review of the Safeguarding children in whom illness is induced or fabricated, guidance; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The guidance, Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced was published in August 2002, as supplementary guidance to Working Together to Safeguard Children (Department of Health,1999). The latter was revised in April 2006, to take account of the Children Act 2004.
	The purpose of the Department's project is to review progress of how the guidance on safeguarding children in whom illness is fabricated or induced is being implemented within the national health service. The focus of the project is on health professionals in the context of health systems. There will also be some limited input from statutory agencies such as local authority children services who work closely with health teams on safeguarding children. The project is expected to be completed in 2007. Programme funding to continue the project in 2006-07 in not yet guaranteed.

Foundation Hospitals

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foundation trust hospitals have given undertakings in respect of Agenda for Change in their five year business plans; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that current and future foundation trusts implement and work within the framework of Agenda for Change.

Rosie Winterton: National health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs) which became operational between 1 April and 1 July 2004 gave a commitment to implement agenda for change according to the same national timetable as the rest of the NHS. Applicants for foundation status thereafter were already covered by the national agenda for change agreement and therefore legally their staff on Whitley terms were entitled to the new contract and those on local contracts had to be offered the new terms and conditions. Business plans of NHSFTs are available from respective organisations.
	NHSFTs are not bound by any statutory obligation to adhere to Government pay agreements. They are free to deliver healthcare without direction from central Government or performance management by heath authorities. However, as independently regulated organisations with a duty to deliver on national standards and demonstrate financial viability, NHSFTs are expected to be model employers and build on their track record of maintaining and developing high standards of employment practice.

Frank Campaign

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people who accessed the Frank campaign in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Frank was launched in May 2003. Between September 2003 and March 2006, figures for which are available (30 months), Frank's contribution to drug prevention and increasing participation in treatment was as follows:
	61,887 people were provided with information about a suitable local substance misuse service;
	35,910 young people and 13,280 parents discussed drug issues with Frank directly. Frank also dealt with 61,713 emails; and
	there were seven million hits on the website and 344,663 hits on the drug treatment web pages. The number of hits to the 'Talk to Frank' website's treatment/prevention pages has almost tripled since 2004.
	In addition to this:
	over 2,000 stakeholders use and recommend Frank's services per year; and
	over 5,000 drug and young people professionals receive news and training information about Frank to support local delivery.

General Practitioners

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which localities her Department has identified as being significantly under-provided in terms of GP numbers.

Rosie Winterton: Those primary care trusts (PCTs) which have fewer than the average number of general practitioners (GP) per 100,000 weighted population are relatively under provided. The White Paper Our Health Our Care Our Say further identifies from among these PCTs the 30 which have fewest GPs for their populations. These PCTs, which are listed on page 63 of the White Paper, are being encouraged to make systematic use of their new contractual freedoms to increase their primary medical care capacity.

General Practitioners

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners per head of population there were in  (a) South East Cambridgeshire constituency and  (b) England in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of general practitioners per head of population in the South East Cambridgeshire constituency and in England in each of the last five years is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Numbers (headcount) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  England  
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 28,802 29,202 30,358 31,523 32,738 
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1 )per 100,000 head of population 58.2 58.8 60.9 62.9 65.1 
			   
			  of which  
			 Cambridge city PCT  
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) 85 86 92 99 101 
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1)per 100,000 head of population 77.3 76.8 80.1 83.6 85.3 
			   
			 East Cambridgeshire and Fenland PCT  
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 82 78 81 85 93 
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) per 100,000 head of population 59.1 55.5 55.8 58.5 64.0 
			   
			 South Cambridgeshire PCT  
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 60 63 75 66 73 
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1 )per 100,000 head of population 45.8 47.8 55.9 48.7 53.9 
			 (1) General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes Contracted GPs , GMS Others and PMS Others. Prior to September 2004 this group included GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs.   Notes: 1. PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (para 52 SFA), PMS other, flexible career scheme GPs and GP retainers  2. Mid-year ONS 2005 population figures for PCTs are not yet available, therefore 2004 PCT figures have been used for 2005 organisation calculations, as a result these figures are subject to change.   Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care general and personal medical services statistics. 2001 Office for national statistics population census.

Health Care Contracts

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to encourage  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) strategic health authorities to implement payment by results; what guidance will be given to those authorities and trusts which maintain block contracts; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effects of  (a) maintaining block contracts and  (b) implementing payment by results;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the effects of payment by results in secondary care; what consultation has taken place with health professionals on moving away from block contracts; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what steps she plans to take to assist  (a) primary care trusts,  (b) NHS trusts and  (c) foundation trusts to implement payments by results; and what support and guidance will be provided to trusts which maintain block contracts.

Andy Burnham: Payment by results is a national policy, and there is a mandatory tariff, which applies across the whole of the NHS. The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2006/07, published in January 2006, set out the ability for strategic health authorities to agree specific local additional rules for a fixed period of time under special circumstances. Discussions on where these might be appropriate continue with the national health service.
	We have a range of formal and informal evaluation tools to assist the analysis of payment by results. For example, we announced on 18 July 2006 the findings of the South Yorkshire laboratory, which tracked the progress of a health economy in which payment by results has been implemented to a faster timescale than elsewhere.
	We provide a range of guidance and work with all NHS organisations and Monitor (the regulator of NHS foundation trusts) to progress the implementation of payment by results. Detailed guidance on payment by results and full copies of evaluation material are available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/pbr.
	In the past, services were largely paid for through block (fixed-cost) contracts between purchasers and providers of care. This gave few incentives to purchasers and providers to understand and respond to the needs and preferences of patients. Securing more responsive services can be achieved by strong and effective commissioning with clear functions, new skills and a focus on meeting the specific needs of the local community and groups within it.
	On 13 July 2006 Health Reform in England: update and commissioning framework was published. Within this document is a consultation to inform the further development of a national model contract which will be used to procure services from NHS trusts, foundation trusts, independent and third sector providers.

Health Care Contracts

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the impact of maintaining block contracts on  (a) practice-based commissioning and  (b) patient choice; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Practice based commissioning and patient choice are integral parts of the reform process that will ensure that patients and communities have their specific needs and preferences reflected in the commissioning and provision of health and social care.
	Historically, block contracts gave few incentives to commissioners and providers of care to respond to the needs and preferences of patients. On 13 July 2006 Health Reform in England: update and commissioning framework was published. Within this document is a consultation to inform the further development of a national model contract which will be used to procure services from national health service trusts, foundation trusts, independent and third sector providers.

Health Care Contracts

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) the new payment by results programme board will provide guidance to health authorities which maintain block contracts after 2008-09 and  (b) there will be scrutiny of health authorities to ensure that block contracts are not imposed on NHS trusts and foundation trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The payment by results programme board will help ensure that appropriate governance procedures are in place for the implementation of payment by results.
	The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2006-07, published in January 2006, sets out the ability for strategic health authorities (SHAs) to agree specific local additional rules for a fixed period of time under special circumstances. Discussion on where these might apply are continuing with the national health service.
	Primary care trusts will be responsible for commissioning services for their communities and will be accountable to SHAs for the commissioning decisions that they make.
	A range of providers including NHS trusts and foundation trusts will provide health and social care services. Commissioning will be a partnership between primary care trusts (PCTs), general practice and local government. General practice is closest to individual patients and best placed to advise them on their choices. Through practice based commissioning, practices will have more freedom to determine the services that are made available to the local population. PCTs will bring a wider view of the overall needs of people living in their communities and can identify inequalities.

Health Care Contracts

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether block contracts will be allowed for ordinary elective procedures in 2007-08; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: On 13 July 2006 Health Reform in England: update and commissioning framework was published. Within this document is a consultation to inform the further development of a national model contract which will be used to procure services from national health service, foundation trusts, independent and third sector providers.
	The aim is to publish a model contract in autumn 2006 for use in the 2007-08 contracting round. The eventual model contract will support the tenets of the health reform programme including practice based commissioning, payment by results and good financial health.

Health Care Contracts

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of savings achieved through competitive purchasing in the NHS in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: The prices that the national health service pays reflect the market dynamics for individual products; it results from direct competition between suppliers, where this competition exists.
	The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) competitively tenders and awards framework agreements on behalf of the NHS in England where central frameworks are appropriate.
	Savings achieved through NHS PASA's competitive purchasing in each of the last three years is as follows:
	2005-06, savings of 325 million on contract value of 3.2 billion;
	2004-05, savings of 339 million on contract value of 3.6 billion; and
	2003-04, savings of 409.9 million on contract value of 4.25 billion.
	It must be recognised that NHS PASA can only report on the value and savings of contracts in its name, there is no central record for contracts awarded by NHS trusts themselves.

Health Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) GP practices,  (b) dental practices,  (c) ophthalmic practices and  (d) pharmacies there were in (i) England and (ii) each region in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested has been placed in the Library. However, data on the number of ophthalmic practices is only available for England and can not be broken down regionally.

Health Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) GPs,  (b) dentists,  (c) optometrists and  (d) pharmacies in (i) England and (ii) each region were (A) male and (B) female (1) under 40, (2) between 40 and 55 and (3) over 55 years old in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: This information has been placed in the Library.
	The Information Centre for health and social care holds no workforce data on pharmacists. There is also no age data for the ophthalmic workforce, while gender data at organisation level is only available for the latest year. Dental data for age and gender is not readily available at organisation level so is presented to national level. It is also included for the years it is available.

Health Services

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had on health deprivation in Stoke-on-Trent; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Although there have been no recent Departmental discussions on health deprivation in Stoke-on-Trent, the area has had a visit by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 4 April when she visited the University Hospital of North Staffordshire National Health Service Trust. The Secretary of State also met with hon. Members from North Staffordshire on 3 May.
	Stoke-on-Trent is in the spearhead group, the fifth of areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators. The group is a focus for action to help achieve the life expectancy element of the 2010 national health inequalities target to narrow the gap in life expectancy between the spearhead areas and the England average.
	Revenue allocations are made directly to primary care trusts (PCTs) and this is done on the basis of a fair funding formula which directs funding to those areas of greatest need. This includes the additional needs for health care related to deprivation. It is for individual PCTs to assess the health needs of their communities and to commission appropriate services to meet those needs.

Healthcare Commission

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds hospital trusts can refuse to submit performance data to the Healthcare Commission.

Andy Burnham: Under section 68 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003, the Healthcare Commission has the power to require information from national health service bodies at any time where that information relates to the provision of health care by or for that body, and where the Commission considers it necessary to have the information for the purposes of its functions in relation to NHS health care. It is an offence not to comply with such a requirement without reasonable excuse.
	A hospital trust might have grounds for refusing a request if it could show that the information was not needed for any of the purposes outlined.

Heart Conditions

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to improve the life chances of those with heart conditions in  (a) Kent and  (b) Gravesham since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Reducing deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) is a top priority for this Government. The national service framework (NSF) for CHD, published in March 2000, sets the agenda for the modernisation of CHD services over a ten-year period. The NSF was drawn up by clinicians, patients, managers and Government and sets 12 standards for improved prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation and goals to secure fair access to high quality services. The NSF is already making a real difference for patients.
	The national health service south east coast has advised that following the publication of the NSF for CHD, a significant amount of work was undertaken to improve access to services for patients with CHD, and to ensure that future services meet the needs of the Kent population.
	In March 2004, the Kent cardiac network ratified a strategy to develop a network of cardiac catheter labs (and associated facilities) across the Kent and Medway. This resulted in the agreement to build catheter laboratories at Dartford, Margate, Maidstone, Medway and Tunbridge Wells to support the one already existing laboratory in Ashford.
	In addition, to the development of new catheter labs, 14.5 million capital funding has enabled the local hospitals to re-design their cardiology departments to enable the catheter labs to become the focal point of local heart centres. Complex cardiac surgery will continue to go to the specialist surgical centres at St Thomas's and Kings College Hospital in London.
	Across the Gravesham area, the NHS south east coast has advised of the following improvements to cardiac services since the publication of the NSF for CHD:
	 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
	A new heart centre at Darent Valley hospital is under construction. This new building will bring together cardiac services and will be a centre of excellence. Coronary angiography commenced at Darent Valley in November 2005 as an interim service whilst the heart centre build is completed. The cardiac team anticipate moving into the building during November 2006. The opening of the heart centre will allow the service to be extended by doing more angiograms and also offering angioplasty locally by spring 2007.
	At the trust's rapid access chest pain clinic patients are seen and start their treatment within two weeks of referral from their general practitioner.
	The introduction of specialist nurses at the Darent Valley Hospital to help reduce the door-to-needle time. Patients having some type of heart attack now receive clot busting drugs as soon as possible.
	 Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Primary Care Trust (PCT)
	The PCT runs healthy lifestyle days in the local community where the general public can discuss health matters and receive advice from community nursing staff and dieticians, and physiotherapists.
	The development of a breathlessness clinic provides community diagnostic services for patients, many of whom may have heart failure.

HIV/AIDS

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many HIV tests in each genitourinary medicine clinic in each London strategic health authority were  (a) offered and  (b) taken in 2005.

Caroline Flint: The number of HIV tests offered and taken in the genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics within the London strategic health authorities (SHA) is shown in the table. The dataset used to compile this data was taken from the KC60 return, which is made by all GUM clinics to the health protection agency. Only those tests offered and taken in GUM clinics are recorded in the KC60 return. Testing undertaken in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the dataset.
	The data does not represent the number of HIV tests offered and taken up by the population resident within each SHA, as many patients cross health boundaries to access GUM clinics. In addition, the gender and sexual orientation mix varies between clinics. Some clinics are attended by a high number of homosexual and bisexual men and consequently this influences the number of HIV tests offered and taken.
	
		
			  Numbers of HIV tests offered ( 1)  and taken ( 2)  in genitourinary medicine clinics ( 3)  by SHA, London: 2005 ( 4) 
			  SHA  Clinic name  Offered/tested  2005 
			 North Central London Archway Sexual Health Clinic Offered 6,450 
			   Tested 5,217 
			  Barnet General Hospital, Clare Simpson House Offered 3,379 
			   Tested 2,633 
			  Moorfields Eye Hospital Offered 120 
			   Tested 98 
			  Mortimer Market Centre Offered 16,461 
			   Tested 14,789 
			  St. Ann's Hospital Offered 6,778 
			   Tested 4,285 
			  The Royal Free Hospital Offered 5,787 
			   Tested 4,870 
			  Town Clinic Offered 2,740 
			   Tested 1,805 
			 North East London Barking Hospital Offered 1,446 
			   Tested 1,439 
			  Homerton Hospital Offered 9,086 
			   Tested 7,713 
			  John Scott Health Centre Offered 68 
			   Tested 67 
			  Newham General Hospital Offered 6,255 
			   Tested 3,598 
			  Oldchurch Hospital Offered 604 
			   Tested 586 
			  St. Bartholomew's Hospital Offered 7,752 
			   Tested 5,283 
			  The Royal London Hospital Offered 15,636 
			   Tested 10,418 
			  Whipps Cross University Hospital Offered 1,258 
			   Tested 1,063 
			 North West London Central Middlesex Hospital, Patrick Clements Clinic Offered 7,158 
			   Tested 5,042 
			  Charing Cross Hospital Offered 8,650 
			   Tested 6,275 
			  Ealing Hospital, Pasteur Suite Offered 4,814 
			   Tested 3,996 
			  Northwick Park Hospital Offered 4,783 
			   Tested 3,586 
			  St. Mary's Hospital, Jefferiss Wing Offered 22,218 
			   Tested 15,544 
			  John Hunter Clinic Offered 9,805 
			   Tested 7,719 
			  The Victoria Clinic for HIV and Sexual Health Offered 8,464 
			   Tested 7,082 
			  Tudor Wing, Hillingdon Hospital Offered 2,468 
			   Tested 2,037 
			  West Middlesex University Hospital Offered 6,776 
			   Tested 4,924 
			 South East London Beckenham Hospital Offered 3,091 
			   Tested 1,983 
			  Guy's Hospital Offered 5,671 
			   Tested 4,499 
			  King's College Hospital (5) Offered 19,917 
			   Tested 9,883 
			  St. Thomas's Hospital Offered 13,138 
			   Tested 9,907 
			  Trafalgar Clinic Offered 5,805 
			   Tested 4,268 
			 South West London Kingston Hospital Offered 6,196 
			   Tested 4,850 
			  Mayday University Hospital Offered 9,849 
			   Tested 6,456 
			  Queen Mary's University Hospital Offered 5,172 
			   Tested 3,091 
			  St. George's Hospital Offered 17,210 
			   Tested 11,809 
			  St. Helier Hospital Offered 4,520 
			   Tested 2,367 
			 (1) Offered defined as KC60 codes S2 (HIV antibody test and sexual health screen) + P1A (HIV antibody test no sexual health screen) + P1B (HIV antibody test offered and refused).(2) Test taken defined as S2 + P1A.(3) The following genitourinary medicine clinics appear under different names to those used in 2004:- Barnet General Hospital, Clare Simpson House was previously Clare Simpson House;- Barking Hospital was previously Sydenham Centre;- Whipps Cross University Hospital was previously Forest Healthcare;- The Victoria Clinic for HIV and Sexual Health was previously South Westminster Centre;- Guy's Hospital was previously Lloyd Clinic; and- St. George's Hospital was previous the Courtyard Clinic.(4) Data for 2005 is provisional.(5) King's College hospital does not collect information for code 52. Source: Health Protection Agency

Hospital Admissions

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) South East Cambridgeshire,  (b) Cambridgeshire and  (c) England were admitted to hospital in each of the last five years as a result of the effects of  (a) hot and  (b) cold weather.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not available centrally.

Hospital Art

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on hospital art in each of the last five years  (a) in total and  (b) broken down by region.

Andy Burnham: Since 2002-03, information has been provided annually by national health service trusts on the total amount invested in art and art projects. This information is provided in the following table and shows the total spend on labour, materials and resources on arts and arts projects by strategic health authority (SHA) area as configured at 31 March 2006.
	Data for 2003-04 and before was provided as part of a mandatory data set. From 2004-05, data has been provided by trusts on a voluntary basis as part of the initiative to reduce bureaucracy in the NHS.
	Approximately 50 per cent. of the expenditure in each year was funded by sources external to the NHS, including charities.
	The data provided has not been amended centrally and the accuracy of this data is the responsibility of the provider organisation.
	
		
			   
			  Strategic health authority  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 424,863 468,829 126,804 233,153 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 2,500 2,500 5,600 4,235 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country 181,248 230,922 317,633 103,970 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 30,195 36,539 364,534 43,650 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 449,556 369,914 35,000 125,900 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 70,905 105,887 18,018 103,500 
			 Dorset and Somerset 219,690 229,747 52,675 22,912 
			 Essex 44,420 121,855 123,090 33,921 
			 Greater Manchester 369,608 266,693 843,983 652,235 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 373,497 264,369 154,620  
			 Kent and Medway 29,500 40,000 5,000 7,300 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 5,500 3,000  107,971 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 164,680 153,688 177,833 117,270 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 31,197 50,726 34,566 143,082 
			 North Central London 302,230 97,000 20,000 56,825 
			 North East London 245,381 335,077 358,145 211,339 
			 North West London 483,309 481,615 255,271 116,826 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 270,181 248,000 196,080 374,582 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 50,036 51,569 11,000 204,280 
			 South East London 625,355 434,314 197,240 91,737 
			 South West London 217,900 136,400 85,638 146,780 
			 South West Peninsular 226,806 84,264 37,335 69,487 
			 South Yorkshire 53,460 59,264 20,899 82,560 
			 Surrey and Sussex 330,702 160,289 309,131 47,222 
			 Thames Valley 83,588 62,594 146,171 185,677 
			 Trent 25,607 58,400 44,539 217,695 
			 West Midlands South 30,800 20,700 65,000 251,200 
			 West Yorkshire 243,660 142,568 122,453 355,874 
			 Total for England 5,586,374 4,716,723 4,128,258 4,111,183

Hospital Building

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2006,  Official Report, column 328W, on hospital building, if she will republish the data with the threshold value defined as  (a) 25 million and  (b) 50 million at 2006-07 prices.

Andy Burnham: A copy of the full list of operational hospital building projects given the go ahead since January 1980 with values over 29.7 million has been placed in the Library (in line with the recent uplift of the 50 million threshold to a 2006-07 price basis of 58.6 million, the value of a 25 million scheme in 1999-2000 is today worth 29.7 million).

Hospital Expenditure

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) availability component of the unitary charge and  (b) capital charges were as a proportion of total hospital expenditure in each hospital in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 384W, with regard to the availability component of the unitary charge. The table placed in the Library gives details of unitary payments for each private finance initiative scheme which has become operational over the last five years (the table shows what the percentage of these payments are against the trusts' annual turnover as opposed to expenditure). Unitary payments include the costs for hard and soft facilities management services as well as for construction and financing. It is not possible to separately identify costs attributable only to the non-services element of the contract as the availability component includes costs attributable to providing hard facilities management services.
	Information on capital charges as a proportion of national health service trusts' annual expenditure in each of the last three years has been placed in the Library.

Hospital Food

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the average amount spent on hospital food per patient per day in 2005-06; and whether a central assessment has been made of variation in spending in each region;
	(2)  what proportion of total patient main meals in hospitals were represented by untouched meals in 2005-06.

Andy Burnham: For 2005-06, data provided by the national health service shows that the average amount spent per patient meal was 2.65.
	No central assessment is made of spending on main meals in different regions. However, performance indicators on this and related areas are available to all trusts through the estates return information collection system to support local monitoring and decision-making.
	Data on untouched meals forms part of a wider question on untouched/unserved meals. This includes food delivered to the ward and not served, for example because a patient has gone home, as well as that served but not eaten. For 2005-06, the percentage of untouched/unserved meals was 10.14 per cent.
	The data provided has not been amended centrally and the accuracy of this data is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of research on the possible link between the level of patient harm and negative healthcare outcomes and the number of beds in wards.

Andy Burnham: The research that the Department has commissioned into in-patient accommodation is not yet complete and therefore no final assessment has been made.

Hospitals (Cornwall)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ensure that the next edition of 'Choosing Your Hospital' for the West and Central Cornwall primary care trusts includes full descriptions of each of the three hospitals within the Royal Cornwall Hospitals' Trust including their records for cases of  (a) MRSA and  (b) inpatient waits.

Ivan Lewis: It is expected that the next edition of the 'Choosing Your Hospital' booklet will include descriptions of each hospital within a hospital trust as well as performance indicators. The performance indicators in the booklet are likely to include information on meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia reports and waiting times. Performance indicators will be based on Healthcare Commission information.

Independent Service Providers

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of NHS operations were carried out by the independent sector in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of NHS operations are expected to be carried out by the independent sector in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2009.

Andy Burnham: Information is not collected centrally on the percentage of national health service operations carried out in the independent sector. Information on elective admissions is collected and the percentage of NHS elective admissions carried out by the independent sector was one per cent, in 2003-04, 1.5 per cent, in 2004-05 and 1.8 per cent, in 2005-06.
	NHS local delivery plans suggest this percentage could rise to four percent, in 2006-07. Information is not available for 2009.

Infant Mortality

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards infant mortality targets; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The infant mortality health inequalities public service agreement target is by 2010 to reduce by 10 per cent. the gap between routine and manual groups, as defined by Office for National Statistics, and the rest of the population. Currently, the gap is 19 per cent. The latest data shows no change in the gap between these groups and the rest of the population, 2002-04, compared with the data for the previous year, 2001-03, which was set out in 'Tackling Health InequalitiesA Status Report on the Programme for Action', published last August.
	We are undertaking a review of this target to help sharpen local delivery of services to these groups with a strong focus on key interventions to prevent, avoidable, infant mortality. This will help contribute to meeting the target by narrowing the gap between these groups and the rest of the population, and build a long-term sustainable reduction in health inequalities. The results of the review will be published in due course.

Influenza Vaccinations

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the take-up rate for influenza vaccinations was in each  (a) strategic health authority and  (b) primary care trust in London in 2005-06; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The take up rate for influenza vaccine in 2005-06 by strategic health authority and primary care trust is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Strategic health authority (SHA)  Primary care trust (PCT)  Percentage uptake 2005-06 those aged 65 and over  Percentage uptake 2005-06 in those aged 6 month to under 65 
			 North East London SHA Havering PCT 76 49 
			  Waltham Forest PCT 76 56 
			  Redbridge PCT 74 55 
			  City and Hackney Teaching PCT 73 64 
			  Barking and Dagenham PCT 72 67 
			  Newham PCT 71 46 
			  Tower Hamlets PCT 71 47 
			  Mean SHA 74 54 
			 
			 North Central London SHA Barnet PCT 72 49 
			  Enfield PCT 70 51 
			  Haringey Teaching PCT 70 50 
			  Islington PCT 69 42 
			  Camden PCT 68 50 
			  Mean SHA 70 46 
			 
			 South East London SHA Bexley Care Trust 73 51 
			  Bromley PCT 73 42 
			  Greenwich Teaching PCT 69 44 
			  Lambeth PCT 65 56 
			  Lewisham PCT 65 45 
			  Southwark PCT 62 48 
			  Mean SHA 69 45 
			 
			 South West London SHA Kingston PCT 75 54 
			  Richmond and Twickenham PCT 75 55 
			  Sutton and Merton PCT 73 46 
			  Wandsworth PCT 71 45 
			  Croydon PCT 70 48 
			  Mean SHA 72 48 
			 
			 North West London SHA Brent Teaching PCT 75 44 
			  Harrow PCT 75 54 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 74 45 
			  Hillingdon PCT 74 49 
			  Westminster PCT 73 42 
			  Westminster PCT 73 42 
			  Kensington and Chelsea PCT 73 46 
			  Hounslow PCT 72 (1) 
			  Ealing PCT 71 55 
			  Mean SHA 73 48 
			 (1) No data submitted

Intensive Therapy Units

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when an assessment was last made of the sufficiency of capacity in intensive therapy units in England; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 17 July 2006
	It is for local health care providers, working with their commissioners, to determinein the light of their case mix and their anticipated level of emergency and elective activitythe level of critical care capacity needed locally.
	The NHS Plan published in 2000 included a commitment to increase the number of critical care beds in England by 30 per cent., between 2000 and 2003. This target has been achieved. On 6 June 2006, there were 3,278 adult critical care beds. This is the highest number of critical care beds recorded since this census started in 1999. Data is available on the Department's website at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data_requests/index.htm

Mental Health

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources have been allocated under the well-being support programme in 2006-07,  (a) broken down by primary care trust and  (b) in total; what recent assessment she has made of the physical health of people with mental health problems; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) separately identify 211 million in 2006-07 and 342 million in 2007-08 to support the implementation of the Choosing Health White Paper.
	For the two years covered by this allocation, a total of 14 million has been identified nationally to invest in the well-being support programmes initiative to support the implementation of the Choosing Health White Paper commitments. However, only a total amount to cover the implementation of the White Paper has been identified within each PCTs 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations. No breakdown of the funding by initiative is shown in the individual PCTs' allocations. It is PCTs' responsibility to decide how to use these funds. That said, the Choosing Health White Paper delivery plan sets out in detail the expectations of how this funding should be utilised.
	As made clear in the Choosing Health White Paper, the Government recognises that people with poor mental health tend to experience worse physical health than the rest of the population. This is why it is supporting well-being support programmes in spearhead PCTs and through the Shift initiative. Guidance for commissioners on well-being support programmes will be published shortly.

MMR Vaccinations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the MMR vaccination rate was in each primary care trust area in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what percentage of five-year-old children have missed routine vaccinations.

Caroline Flint: Immunisation data by primary care trust, strategic health authorities and nationally is published annually in the statistical bulletin national health service immunisation statistics, England, which is available on the Department's and The Information Centre for health and social care's websites. Data are not available by local authority or by electoral ward. Links to the latest three publications are:
	 2002-03
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/StatisticalHealthCare/StatisticalHealthCareArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4081007chk=ckz8H6
	 2003-04
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/StatisticalHealthCare/StatisticalHealthCareArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4099576chk=d2n5Kj
	 2004-05
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/PublicationsStatisticsArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4119649chk=r6rlW4
	Copies have been placed in the Library.

MRSA

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA cases there have been in each hospital in Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust area in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The information is not available in the format required. However, meticillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) figures for Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals National Health Services Trust are as follows:
	
		
			   Number/rate 
			  April 2001 to March 2002  
			 Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports 106 
			 MRSA rate (per 1,000 bed days) 0.26 
			  April 2002 to March 2003  
			 Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports 75 
			 MRSA rate (per 1,000 bed days) 0.18 
			   
			  April 2003 to March 2004  
			 Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports 102 
			 MRSA rate (per 1,000 bed days) 0.23 
			   
			  April 2004 to March 2005  
			 Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports 90 
			 MRSA rate (per 1,000 bed days) 0.21 
		
	
	The Department continues to engage those trusts facing the most significant challenges to their delivery plan, which ensures the trust meets an agreed level of reduction in MRSA bacteraemia. Here it is working with trusts most likely to benefit from tailored support. Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust is engaged in this improvement programme, and a departmental team concluded a diagnostic assessment, and recommendations for action were due to be presented to the trust board on 25 July. The board will, with departmental support, be working up a detailed action plan to deliver the agreed reduction in MRSA cases.

MRSA

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of cases of MRSA infection in  (a) England and  (b) each region resulted in a fatality in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: The data requested is not collected centrally.
	The Office for National Statistics published figures on the number of deaths where meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus was mentioned on the death certificate from 1999 to 2004 in Health Statistics Quarterly 29 in spring 2006. The full paper is at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/HSQ29.pdf.

MRSA

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA have been identified in hospitals in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years, broken down by national health service trust; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   April 2001 to March 2002  April 2002 to March 2003  April 2003 to March 2004  April 2004 to March 2005  April 2005 to March 2006 
			  Trust  Number  Number  Number  Number  Number 
			 Airdale NHS Trust 11 10 20 18 16 
			 Barnsley Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 22 18 22 13 17 
			 Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 45 48 44 75 58 
			 Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust 38 39 37 40 28 
			 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 27 33 46 27 29 
			 Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust 13 11 6 9 8 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 106 75 102 90 101 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 196 165 204 200 165 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 70 95 87 78 70 
			 North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 36 34 28 40 23 
			 Rotherham General Hospitals NHS Trust 22 14 25 7 21 
			 Scarborough and NE Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust 31 15 33 19 13 
			 Sheffield Children's Hospitals NHS Trust 3 0 2 1 2 
			 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 67 91 103 103 75 
			 York Health Services NHS Trust 27 16 31 28 22 
			  Source:Department of Health Mandatory meticillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Bacteraemia Surveillance Scheme 
		
	
	This is the first Government to introduce mandatory MRSA surveillance and this continues to be developed. An improvement programme has been introduced to provide tailored support to those trusts with the most challenging MRSA bacteraemia numbers. The objective is to assist in diagnosing those issues which prevent reduction in infections and to develop practical, robust action plans that speed-up progress and delivery. General support and shared learning is enhanced via trusts' Performance Improvement Network, which has over 80 participants.

NHS Finance

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much capital expenditure there has been at  (a) Sunderland Royal, Hartlepool university and  (b) Durham university hospital in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Capital expenditure for the relevant trusts is shown in the table for all years currently available. Data is not available at hospital level.
	
		
			  000 
			  NHS trust  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland 6,808 14,144 9,981 7,686 4,852 15,632 3,125 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool 4,397 8,474 7,620 5,788 5,898 5,738 6,780 
			 County Durham and Darlington Acute 3,101 5,513 23,845 18,145 9,372 10,750 12,196 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool 4,397 8,474 7,620 5,788 5,898 5,738 6,780 
			  Source: Audited summarisation schedules for the trusts containing the specified hospitals 1998-99 to 2004-05.

NHS Funding

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has  (a) to reduce capital spending and  (b) to increase revenue spending on the NHS in 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: The Department have no plans to reduce capital investment by the national health service in 2006-07. Indeed funds allocated direct to NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) as operational capital for 2006-07 are on average 25 per cent. higher than the previous year and strategic health authorities' strategic capital funds are on average 13 per cent. higher than in 2005-06.
	Revenue spending on the NHS is also increasing in 2006-07. Allocations to PCTs rose by 9.2 per cent. in 2006-07.
	Capital and revenue are managed and controlled separately by Her Majesty's Treasury. The Department is voted separate budgets for capital and revenue and does not have the power to vire funding from the capital budget to the revenue budget.

NHS Hospitals

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS hospitals there are in  (a) absolute terms and  (b) per 1,000 population in (i) rural areas and (ii) non-rural areas; which have accident and emergency wards; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: National health service trusts self-report the number of accident and emergency (AE) services they provide against definitions set by the Department for the three types of accident and emergency. This is the only level at which such information is available. A table detailing the number of type one accident and emergency departments, by NHS organisation, for the period 2005-06 January to March (Q4) has been placed in the Library.
	Data is not available on whether acute trusts are rural or non-rural. Therefore, it is not possible to split the number of major (type one) accident and emergency departments between rural and non-rural areas.
	Population data at trust level is not collated centrally, as NHS trusts do not have specific catchments areas.

NHS IT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what way and for what reasons  (a) Northumbria Healthcare,  (b) Norfolk and Norwich NHS Trust,  (c) Dudley NHS Trust and  (d) South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust have dispensed with the NHS IT system; how much it has cost them to do so; and what her estimate is of the impact on the NHS IT programme of their actions.

Caroline Flint: None of the national health service trusts referred to have dispensed with the national programme for information technology (IT). All remain committed to the programme and its objectives, and to realising the benefits it is already bringing, and will continue to bring to NHS patients and staff.
	We have always said that the programme will make maximum use of existing systems when deciding local implementation priorities. We are adopting an incremental approach to replacing existing systems, and this strategy ensures that best use is made of the existing asset base. There is scope within deployment plans in each cluster for existing systems to be replaced in either the shorter or the longer term depending on the circumstances of NHS trusts and primary care trusts locally. It makes no sense to replace prematurely systems with appropriate functionality that are delivering demonstrable benefit to patients and staff when other NHS organisations have systems that are in urgent need of replacement.
	This approach to local deployment lies behind decisions made by the Northumbria Healthcare NHS trust, the Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS trust, and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS trust to defer migration to the patient administration system supplied by the local service provider (LSP). The approach is set out in programme-wide implementation guidance. The guidance which is aimed at providing structured and consistent mechanisms, and describing the critical tasks necessary to maximise benefits from the changes being enabled by the national programme, is published on the Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency's website at: www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/implementation The circumstances of the South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust are slightly different.
	The trust was established in April 2002 from three separate organisations, and inherited nine different clinical information systems. Due to the complexity of the current systems and the need to consolidate them it is not currently possible for the Trust to be an early development site for the national programme. The trust board has taken a decision to procure an interim clinical information system which will put it in a stronger position to transfer data onto the LSP-delivered system as soon as this becomes available.
	NHS organisations that retain use of their existing systems typically incur annual maintenance costs, which are paid locally. These costs are saved following migration to solutions provided under the national programme. Information is not collected centrally about the amounts in each case. However, in the case of the Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS trust, all IT services and applications were included in the trust's overall public finance initiative contract, and no separate IT maintenance costs are payable.

NHS Managers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 462-3W, on NHS managers, 
	(1)  what the change in the number of managers employed in the NHS in England was between 1 April 1997 and 1 April 2006;
	(2)  if she will clarify how many managers were employed in the NHS on 1 April  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The number of managers employed in the national health service in England in 1997 and 2005 at 30 September each year was 22,173 and 39,391 respectively. Information for 2006 is not available but will begin to fall with the reduction in strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and ambulance trusts. Managers in 2005 were less than 3 per cent., of the NHS workforce.

NHS Modernisation Agency

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work has been done with the NHS Modernisation Agency since 2002 to change working practices so that IT is used effectively, as set out in her Department's publication Delivering 21st century IT support for the NHS.

Caroline Flint: A consultation document, Delivering 21st Century IT support for the NHS: National Specification for Integrated Care Records Serviceconsultation draft, issued in July 2002, outlined the requirements for a national patient care records service and the national standards and specification which would underpin it. Its purpose was to provide an initial review of electronic patient records and to describe a direction of travel for the whole range of information technology standards in the national health service. Nearly 200 initial responses were received from organisations and individuals, and these were taken into account in drawing up the specification for a care record service used in the procurements phase during 2003. A broad spectrum of NHS stakeholders was then engaged to review the specification, including leading clinicians, practitioners, policy advisors, health informaticians, and managers.
	Following the closure of the Modernisation Agency in 2004-05 (as a result of the Department's arms length body review) a service implementation directorate has been established within NHS Connecting for Health whose purpose is to help to maximise the value gained from investment in the national programme. This is done by providing support and guidance to the NHS to realise benefits and achieve performance improvement through synergy with other change programmes and system reform, in particular through effective education, training and development. The emphasis is to optimise the use of technology to manage knowledge and information to improve care and treatment, safety and clinical governance, and to re-design processes, supported by appropriate information technology, to improve patient, clinician and managerial satisfaction.
	Examples of work done to date in pursuit of these objectives include establishment of an integrated service improvement programme (ISIP) to promote and support the planning and delivery of this kind of transformational change across the NHS. ISIP is focused on helping the national programme for information technology (NPfTT) products to be adopted and exploited by clinicians and managers rather than be seen as peripheral to other NHS priorities and primarily the domain of the IT community.
	In addition, the do once and share programme, initiated in March 2005 and involving over 6,000 clinicians, has been set up to minimise unknowing duplication of effort, and to help clinical specialist networks plan improvements in care that will be made possible by the NPfTT. Forty-four national action teams have been established supported by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, specialist libraries, and the Healthcare Commission to distil the current best practice derived from the NHS's knowledge bases into fifty national care pathways representing current best practice. By the end of June 2006 thirty-nine of the action teams will have produced their final reports, which will enable the distilled knowledge to begin to be integrated into national electronic care pathways.
	NHS Connecting for Health has also been working with the NHS to compile programme-wide national programme implementation guidance. The guidance is intended to act as an entry point to all NPfTT implementation-related guidance for programme and project managers in NHS trusts, but is also useful to many other groups including clinicians, human resources, and training professionals. The purpose of the guidance is to provide a structured and consistent mechanism for implementation, and to describe the critical tasks necessary to maximise benefits from the changes being enabled by NPfTT, irrespective of the type of implementation a local health community is undertaking.
	The guidance, the first version of which was issued in 2004, is published on the NHS Connecting for Health website at
	www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/implementation

Obesity

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on public health campaigns to tackle obesity in children and young people in each year from 1997 to 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Aggregated expenditure data for public health campaigns to tackle obesity in children and young people is not held centrally. However, current public health campaigns aim to tackle obesity through the promotion of healthy eating practices and increased physical activity. Examples of centrally funded schemes which contribute include the 5 A DAY programme, school fruit and vegetable scheme (SFVS), healthy schools initiative, and the local exercise action pilot (LEAP). The total cost of the SFVS is estimated at 34 million during the period specified, and the Department makes a yearly contribution of 9.6 million to the local healthy schools pProgramme. The LEAP scheme has received 1.3 million in funding from the Department to date. In addition primary care trusts allocate funding on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Obesity

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) children and  (b) adults were diagnosed as being obese in Brent in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) sex and  (b) age.

Caroline Flint: The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity is the Health Survey for England (HSE). The data is not available in the form requested as the sample size of the HSE does not allow estimates to be produced at below strategic health authority (SHA) level. All data in the tables are the most recent available.
	Tables one and two show the prevalence of obesity among adults and children respectively, by sex and age, in England in each year from 1997 to 2004. Table three shows the prevalence of obesity among adults in North West London SHA (the SHA which contains Brent) as a three-year moving average for the period 1995 to 2002. Table four shows the prevalence of obesity among children aged two to 10 in London Government Office Region (GOR) based on combined 2001 and 2002 HSE data.
	
		
			  Table 1. Prevalence of obesity among adults aged 16 and over by sex and age, England 1997-2004 
			  Percentages 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Men 
			 All ages 17.0 17.3 18.7 21.0 21.0 22.1 22.9 23.6 
			 16-24 5.0 5.2 6.2 9.3 9.5 9.2 8.6 8.2 
			 25-34 13.1 15.9 16.4 20.3 16.0 17.9 17.8 18.8 
			 35-44 17.5 16.8 21.1 21.3 22.7 23.8 25.0 24.5 
			 45-54 21.6 21.2 23.1 25.0 26.0 27.8 28.1 29.5 
			 55-64 27.4 23.3 21.0 25.8 26.5 28.1 26.8 30.0 
			 65-74 18.4 21.2 21.7 24.5 24.4 26.4 28.7 27.9 
			 75+ 11.9 15.9 17.9 17.1 17.9 19.2 20.9 17.9 
			  Women 
			 All ages 19.7 21.2 21.1 21.4 23.5 22.8 23.4 23.8 
			 16-24 8.6 10.7 10.0 8.6 11.9 11.3 13.3 12.2 
			 25-34 14.5 16.3 15.8 15.7 19.3 20.9 18.7 17.9 
			 35-44 18.2 20.5 19.0 19.2 22.2 22.8 21.7 23.6 
			 45-54 22.5 23.9 25.7 24.2 27.6 25.4 26.5 25.8 
			 55-64 30.1 28.6 28.8 29.3 30.7 29.1 27.8 32.2 
			 65-74 24.8 29.0 30.0 30.1 30.2 28.3 29.9 28.2 
			 75+ 21.9 20.7 20.0 23.3 20.4 22.3 26.1 20.3 
			  Bases Men 
			 All ages 3,685 6,600 3,204 3,260 6,267 2,969 5,966 2,444 
			 16-24 476 825 389 400 757 1,553 686 255 
			 25-34 710 1,261 566 591 1,051 464 962 388 
			 35-44 714 1,229 626 662 1,220 629 1,178 478 
			 45-54 667 1,197 579 528 1,112 485 1,001 390 
			 55-64 511 910 466 469 958 445 997 424 
			 65-74 414 745 383 376 766 329 736 319 
			 75+ 193 433 195 234 403 203 406 190 
			  Women 
			 All ages 4,254 7,730 3,699 3,703 7,414 3,509 7,090 3,135 
			 16-24 510 903 459 362 856 1,719 788 294 
			 25-34 816 1,433 647 674 1,221 513 1,088 453 
			 35-44 780 1,449 744 778 1,513 737 1,452 649 
			 45-54 766 1,373 689 632 1,331 590 1,142 527 
			 55-64 552 1,043 465 509 1,038 519 1,194 538 
			 65-74 479 853 410 422 871 403 810 393 
			 75+ 351 676 285 326 584 300 616 281 
			  Source: Health Survey for England 2004updating of trend tables to include 2004 data, The Information Centre For Health and Social Care. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Prevalence of obesity among children aged 2-15 by sex and age, England 1997-2004 
			  Percentages 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Boys 
			 All aged 2-15 12.7 13.0 16.4 14.5 15.5 16.9 17.0 18.9 
			 2-10 11.1 11.4 16.1 12.2 13.5 15.2 14.9 16.2 
			 11-15 15.6 16.3 16.9 18.8 18.8 19.8 20.4 23.7 
			  Girls 
			 All aged 2-15 12.4 13.8 13.7 14.2 14.5 17.1 16.1 17.8 
			 2-10 10.7 11.8 13.0 11.8 12.7 15.8 12.5 11.9 
			 11-15 16.2 17.5 15.2 18.1 17.7 19.2 21.9 26.2 
			  Bases Boys 
			 All aged 2-15 3,063 1,981 977 877 1,653 3,745 1,410 645 
			 2-10 2,007 1,336 633 570 1,035 2,364 876 416 
			 11-15 1,056 645 343 306 618 1,381 533 230 
			  Girls 
			 All aged 2-15 3,069 1,872 950 841 1,699 3,636 1,444 579 
			 2-10 2,082 1,216 628 523 1,094 2,290 897 343 
			 11-15 987 656 322 318 605 1,346 547 236 
			  Source: Health Survey for England 2004updating of trend tables to include 2004 data, The Information Centre For Health and Social Care. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Prevalence of obesity among adults aged 16 and over in North West London SHA(3-year moving average) by sex, 1995-2002 
			  Percentages 
			   1995-97  1996-98  1997-99  1998-2000  1999-2001  2000-02 
			 Men 13.3 15.1 17.7 17.3 17.0 13.4 
			 Women 19.4 18.6 19.7 20.1 22.8 22.8 
			  Bases   
			 Men 487 518 354 348 275 295 
			 Women 593 615 422 395 334 369 
			  Source: Health Survey for England: Health and Lifestyle indicators for strategic health authorities 1994-2002, Department of Health. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Prevalence of obesity among children aged 2-10 years in London GOR,  2001-02 
			  Percentage 
			 Children aged 2-10 18.2 
			 Base (weighted) 830 
			 Base (unweighted) 701 
			  Source: Obesity among children under 11, Department of Health

Opthalmic Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of ophthalmic services in  (a) England and  (b) each region was in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure on national health service general ophthalmic services is shown in the following table. This covers the cost of NHS-funded sight tests and the cost of NHS optical vouchers to assist with the purchase of spectacles. The table also shows expenditure for the last five years to 2004-05, which is the latest year for which full accounts data is currently available. Data for NHS expenditure on hospital ophthalmic services is not available centrally.
	
		
			  Expenditure on general ophthalmic services by former strategic health authority area 
			  000 
			  Strategic health authority  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 12,233 12,741 12,520 12,910 14,200 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 8,351 8,700 8,986 9,197 10,364 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 17,979 18,695 18,908 20,081 21,548 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 16,230 17,105 16,834 17,276 18,274 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 7,490 7,891 9,137 8,498 7,561 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 11,547 12,072 12,510 13,079 13,867 
			 Dorset and Somerset 6,980 7,361 6,349 8,045 8,433 
			 Essex 8,936 9,371 9,774 10,448 10,712 
			 Greater Manchester 16,746 17,498 17,419 18,278 18,733 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 8,998 9,413 9,978 9,917 10,680 
			 Kent and Medway 8,730 8,929 7,919 10,593 10,457 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 8,575 9,289 9,255 10,123 10,804 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 11,483 12,191 12,143 13,292 14,722 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 8,816 9,517 9,437 9,656 10,523 
			 North Central London 7,235 7,497 7,570 7,621 7,913 
			 North East London 10,831 10,982 10,187 11,924 12,219 
			 North West London 9,094 9,547 9,608 9,498 9,911 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 10,066 10,501 10,985 11,247 11,670 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 8,483 9,165 8,696 9,675 10,439 
			 South East London 7,718 8,004 7,615 8,279 8,688 
			 South West London 6,154 5,902 6,021 6,271 6,750 
			 South West Peninsula 10,311 10,557 10,771 10,830 12,107 
			 South Yorkshire 7,810 8,219 8,505 8,972 9,507 
			 Surrey and Sussex 12,820 12,603 13,325 13,538 14,405 
			 Thames Valley 9,223 9,531 9,993 10,290 11,367 
			 Trent 14,994 15,838 16,074 17,425 18,025 
			 West Midlands South 8,675 9,061 8,728 9,352 9,962 
			 West Yorkshire 13,434 14,203 14,664 15,296 16,140 
			   
			 England 289,942 302,383 303,911 321,611 339,981

Osteoarthritis

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at which locations her Department funds research into  (a) understanding and  (b) treatment of osteoarthritis; and if she will make a statement on the Government's strategy for researching osteoarthritis.

Andy Burnham: Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is currently devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects including a large number concerned with osteoarthritis are available on the national research register (NRR) at www.dh.gov.uk/research. NRR entries include the address of the hospital or other location at which the principal researcher is based.
	The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the NHS. Information about osteoarthritis research commissioned by Department's national research programmes can similarly be found on the NRR.
	The Government also support medical and clinical research by funding the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation.
	The MRC spent 6.8 million on arthritis and rheumatism research in 2003-04, and is about to issue a highlight notice encouraging researchers to submit innovative proposals aimed at identifying factors involved in the maintenance of musculoskeletal health, especially where such research could underpin the development of new diagnostic approaches.
	The approaches to the research are also important and the MRC wishes particularly to support longer-term collaborative research from new partnerships working at the interface of basic and clinical research. To this end, the MRC will consider collaborative funding with other research councils, charities and industry.

Redundancy Payments

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on redundancy payments by  (a) her Department,  (b) strategic health authorities,  (c) primary care trusts,  (d) ambulance trusts and  (e) other NHS bodies in each financial year since 1996-97; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 13 July 2006
	Data for the national health service is not collected centrally. In early 2003 the Department began a substantial change programme which led to redundancy costs of 4.32 million in 2004-05 and 0.28 million in 2005-06. Any expenditure in earlier years could be established only at disproportionate cost.

Sexual Health

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what interim monitoring her Department is undertaking of the delivery by primary care trusts and strategic health authorities of the Government's 2008 targets  (a) to reduce the level of new infections of gonorrhoea and  (b) to ensure that all patients have access to genito-urinary medicine clinics within 48 hours.

Caroline Flint: Data on the number of sexually transmitted infections for 2005 for each region was published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on 4 July in each region. The number of cases of gonorrhoea has decreased by 14 per cent. in England since 2004. The report is freely available from the HPA website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/datatables2005.htm
	Sexual health and access to genito-urinary (GUM) clinics is one of the six top priorities for the national health service in 2006-07. By 2008 everyone should be offered an appointment within 48 hours of contacting a GUM clinic. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) have all submitted plans to meet this target.
	The GUM clinic waiting times audit collects data on waiting times for all GUM clinics in England for a period of one week every quarter. All patients attending a GUM clinic with a new episode or registering for the first time are asked to complete the short questionnaire on waiting times. This audit has been chosen as the initial method of monitoring and improving access to genitor-urinary medicine services. Current analysis is published on numbers seen within 48 hours. The most recent survey is for May 2006 which shows that in England 54 per cent. of attendees were seen within 48 hours and a further 4 per cent. were offered an appointment but did not attend. This compares with 45 per cent. seen within 48 hours in May 2004. A summary of the data is published on the HPA website at the following web address:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/results_May_2006.htm
	In addition the Department is working with SHAs and primary care trusts to establish a new continuous monitoring system for GUM access to all local areas to better performance manage their progress to the 2008 target. We expect GUM services to start returning data in August 2006.

Shared Business Services

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS organisations have transferred their finance, accounting and payroll services to shared business services; what estimate she has made of the reduction in the number of NHS posts as a result of the transfer of these services; and to what extent predicted cost savings have been achieved.

Andy Burnham: Since the inception in April 2005 of the Department's 50/50 Joint Venture (JV) with Xansa to provide shared services to the national health service, 56 NHS organisations have transferred their finance and accounting to the JV, whilst 20 have transferred payroll.
	The estimate of the reduction in the number of NHS posts as a result of the transfer of these services is over 200.
	For the 56 trusts that have joined for finance and accounting, they are achieving savings of over 30 per cent. (which is relative to their previous in house costs) and greater than the original commitment by the JV of achieving 20 per cent. savings. This amounts to a saving for the 56, of circa 3.9 million per annum.

Yellow Card Reporting System

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adverse reaction reports were received through the yellow card reporting system for  (a) all anti-psychotic drugs,  (b) traditional anti-psychotic drugs and  (c) atypical anti-psychotic drugs in 2005; and how many prescriptions there were for each type of drug for those aged (i) 50 to 64, (ii) 65 to 74 and (iii) 75 years and over.

Andy Burnham: The yellow card scheme is the United Kingdom system for collecting and monitoring information on suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The scheme is run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the commission on human medicines (CHM). The scheme relies upon voluntary reporting of suspected ADRs by health professionals. Marketing authorisation holders are legally obliged to report any serious suspected adverse reaction that comes to their attention to the MHRA/CHM.
	The following tables contain the number of suspected ADR reports received via the UK yellow card scheme for  (a) all anti-psychotic drugs,  (b) traditional anti-psychotic drugs and  (c) atypical anti-psychotic drugs in 2005; together with the estimated number of prescriptions written in the community in the UK for the 12 months ending 31 March 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of suspected ADR reports UK 2005 
			  Age group  All anti-psychotic drugs  Traditional anti-psychotic drugs  Atypical anti-psychotic drugs 
			 All 2,567 100 2,467 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Estimated number of prescriptions written in the community between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 
			  Age group  All anti-psychotic drugs  Traditional anti-psychotic drugs  Typical anti-psychotic drugs 
			 50 to 64 1,191,360 584,256 607,104 
			 65 to 74 604,928 311,386 293,542 
			 75 years and over 1,577,981 735,107 842,874 
		
	
	It is important to note that a report of an adverse reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the drug. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and the underlying disease. Other factors such as the time since a drug was first marketed, media interest, the reason for prescribing or regulatory action can also influence the frequency of reporting. This means that reporting rates based on numbers of spontaneous reports and numbers of prescriptions are not true measures of the frequency of reactions or the ideal basis for comparisons between drug substances or classes. For these reasons, no firm conclusions can be drawn from a possibly higher reporting rate in 2005, of suspected adverse reactions with the more recently marketed atypical anti-psychotics, based on yellow card data, compared to more traditional anti-psychotics.

York Hospital

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much capital expenditure there has been at York hospital in each year since 1996-97; and what new facilities and equipment were purchased with the expenditure in each year.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 24 July 2006
	Information on capital expenditure for York hospitals NHS trust is shown in the following table. Information is not held centrally relating to particular facilities or equipment purchased. Accounts information on individual national health service bodies is only currently available between 1998-99 and 2004-05.
	
		
			  000 
			   Intangibles  Buildings  Assets under construction  Equipment 
			 1998-99 0 1,794 91 1,300 
			 1999-2000 0 972 172 1,634 
			 2000-01 34 3,613 133 2,791 
			 2001-02 88 1,065 628 2,378 
		
	
	
		
			  000 
			   Software licences  Buildings  Assets under construction  Plant and machinery  Transport equipment  Information technology 
			 2002-03 133 2,106 6,294 933 10 756 
			 2003-04 388 2,581 3,199 3,002 68 2,009 
			 2004-05 90 7,782 5,286 1,727 76 532 
			  Source:Audited summarisation schedules for York Hospitals NHS Trust